Analysis of antibiotics consumption pattern among hospitalized patients in Nepal: a nationally representative multi-hospital survey

The study examined in-hospital antibiotic use across multiple referral hospitals in Nepal (covering seven provinces) and categorized usage according to the World Health Organization AWaRe framework (“Access”, “Watch”, “Reserve”). They found that just 29.8% of in-patient antibiotic consumption was from the “Access” category, 70.1% from “Watch”, and minimal use (0.1%) from “Reserve”. The most frequently used “Access” antibiotics included metronidazole and ornidazole, while “Watch” use was dominated by ceftriaxone and piperacillin/tazobactam; reserve-group use (e.g., linezolid) was very limited. The authors note this pattern is far from the WHO target of ≥60% consumption from “Access” antibiotics and caution that the heavy reliance on “Watch” antibiotics may drive antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) risk.