Evaluation of the impact before and after the application of an antimicrobial stewardship program at Dong Thap General Hospital, Vietnam, from 2017 to 2021

Vietnam has one of the highest rates of antibiotic resistance in Asia. In 2020, the Vietnam Minister of Health introduced new legislation for the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). The evidence for the effectiveness of ASP in small hospitals and hospitals located in provinces was limited compared with larger-scale and central city hospitals. Evaluation of the impact before and after the introduction of an antimicrobial stewardship program at Dong Thap General Hospital, from 2017 to 2021. Retrospective data was collected from June 2017 to June 2021. The impact of the ASP on changes in antibiotic use and the clinical outcome associated with the implementation of the ASP was evaluated using autoregressive integrated moving average modelling of controlled interrupted time-series analysis. There was a significant and sustained decrease in antibiotic consumption level (step change) in 2 indicators, DOT/1000PD (129.55; P