Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic utilization in a tertiary hospital.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the use of antimicrobial drugs during the second year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic, and evaluate the pandemic's impact on antibiotic use by comparing with the pre-pandemic period. Methodology: The study was a retrospective point prevalence study. Patients aged ≥ 18 years, who received antibiotics in our hospital between 11 February 2020. and 3 January 2022 were evaluated. The antibiotics were categorized according to the 2021 Access/Watch/Reserve (AWARe) classification. Compliance with recommendations from infectious diseases (ID) physicians, and reasons for inappropriate treatment were evaluated. Results: Among the hospitalized patients, 323 (36.4%) during the pre-pandemic days (PPD), and 361 (50.1%) during pandemic days (PD), used at least one antimicrobial drug (p < 0.001). The most frequently used antibiotics during PPD and PD were piperacillin, tazobactam, and imipenem/meropenem. The use of the "Access" group antibiotics decreased in the PD, while the use of the "Watch" and "Reserve" groups increased (p = 0.034). There was 100% (n = 209) compliance with ID consultation in the PPD, and 91.9% (n = 227) in the PD (p < 0.001). In the PPD, 64 (19.8%). of the treatments received by inpatients were inappropriate, and during the PD 100 (27.7%) were inappropriate (p = 0.016). Conclusions: The pandemic led to an increase in the overuse and inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs, particularly in the Watch and Reserve groups, in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 clinics. There was a notable transition towards the increased utilization of broad-spectrum antibiotics during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]