ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2023
A Narrative Review of Antibiotic Prescribing Practices in Primary Care Settings in South Africa and Potential Ways Forward to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance.
Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed.
- Generative AI-enabled clinical decision support system in primary care: a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- Antibiotic overuse as a modifiable early-life risk factor for non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.Global health action · 2026Article
- Development of AWaRe-Based Quality Indicators to Assess the Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Healthcare in South Africa.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Psychometric Validation of the Community Antimicrobial Use Scale (CAMUS) in Primary Healthcare and the Implications for Future Use.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Comparison between model global AWaRe-based quality indicators and quality indicators developed to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in primary healthcare in South Africa.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic use in South African communities: findings from the CAMUS survey.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance among patients in rural South Africa and the implications for future policies.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Associated Factors for Purchasing Antibiotics Without a Prescription Among Patients in Rural South Africa: Implications for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Assessing greenhouse gas emissions in a primary care subdistrict in Cederberg, South Africa.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Current status and future direction of antimicrobial stewardship programs and antibiotic prescribing in primary care hospitals in Zambia.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Iraqi Parents Regarding Antibiotic Use in Children and the Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Status and implications of the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards AWaRe antibiotic use, resistance and stewardship among low- and middle-income countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Review
- Increasing the use of the WHO AWaRe system in antibiotic surveillance and stewardship programmes in low- and middle-income countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Review
- Antimicrobial Stewardship Impact on Antibiotic Use in Three Tertiary Hospitals in Zambia: A Comparative Point Prevalence Survey.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic prescribing practices and antimicrobial stewardship in South Africa: a scoping review.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Review
- Knowledge, Attitudes, Motivations, Expectations, and Systemic Factors Regarding Antimicrobial Use Amongst Community Members Seeking Care at the Primary Healthcare Level: A Scoping Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Attitudes and practices for antibiotic prescription and antimicrobial resistance among general physicians -Findings from a multi-country survey.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Point Prevalence Survey of Antibiotic Use in Level 1 hospitals in Zambia: Future Prospects for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.Infection and drug resistance · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
There are concerns with the current prescribing of antibiotics in both the private and public primary care settings in South Africa. These concerns need to be addressed going forward to reduce rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates in South Africa. Concerns include adherence to current prescribing guidelines. Consequently, there is a need to comprehensively summarise current antibiotic utilization patterns from published studies as well as potential activities to improve prescribing, including indicators and antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Published studies showed that there was an appreciable prescribing of antibiotics for patients with acute respiratory infections, i.e., 52.9% to 78% or more across the sectors. However, this was not universal, with appreciable adherence to prescribing guidelines in community health centres. Encouragingly, the majority of antibiotics prescribed, albeit often inappropriately, were from the 'Access' group of antibiotics in the AWaRe (Access/Watch/Reserve) classification rather than 'Watch' antibiotics to limit AMR. Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics in primary care is not helped by concerns with current knowledge regarding antibiotics, AMR and ASPs among prescribers and patients in primary care. This needs to be addressed going forward. However, studies have shown it is crucial for prescribers to use a language that patients understand when discussing key aspects to enhance appropriate antibiotic use. Recommended activities for the future include improved education for all groups as well as regularly monitoring prescribing against agreed-upon guidelines and indicators.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.