Development and assessment of the outpatient module of the Global-PPS: a standardized approach for measuring outpatient antimicrobial prescribing.

OBJECTIVES

Many tools for antimicrobial use surveillance have been exclusively developed for inpatient settings, although >80% of all antimicrobials are prescribed in outpatient care. In this study, we describe the methodology and first evaluation of the outpatient Global Point Prevalence Survey (Global-PPS).

METHODS

Global-PPS developed a standardized tool to measure outpatient antimicrobial prescribing patterns. A core set of variables was collected for all ambulatory patients, and more detailed data for those prescribed antimicrobials during the survey. A questionnaire containing 34 questions on experiences with the outpatient Global-PPS was administered to users who had used the outpatient module of the Global-PPS between May 2023 and December 2024.

RESULTS

In total, 39 (29.1%) participants of the outpatient Global-PPS from 25 (71.4%) different healthcare facilities responded to the questionnaire, of which 25 (from 16 facilities) completed it. Most respondents were from Nigeria (50%), Ghana (12.5%) or Guinea (10%).Respondent satisfaction was very high (>90%,  = 25), although additional training and support tools seemed to be needed. Most facilities (75%,  = 16) encountered certain barriers to conducting the survey, including challenges in obtaining patient information during consultation (44%) or accessing medical records (28%), and a lack of trained staff (16%).

CONCLUSIONS

The outpatient Global-PPS is the first freely available web-based standardized tool for measuring antimicrobial use in outpatient care worldwide, featuring an online data entry platform, validation and real-time reporting. This study confirmed a high degree of satisfaction among participants, although additional support is needed to train staff and overcome certain barriers, including access to patient information.