14/09/2026
The Antibiotic You Take Today Could Matter Tomorrow
At the September Grand Round of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), the conversation turned to a problem that is becoming increasingly important to modern healthcare: Antimicrobial Stewardship and Antimicrobial Resistance.
The topic, “Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Strategic Approach to Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Improving Patient Care,” was presented by Pharmacist Oluwayinka Olaoye and Pharmacist Mercy Oloniyo
of the Pharmaceutical Department of the hospital
At the heart of the discussion was a simple but important question: Are we using antibiotics in ways that protect their ability to work when patients truly need them?
A fever. A headache. Body weakness.
For many people, these symptoms may immediately bring one thought to mind: I need an antibiotic.
Sometimes, the response may even be to reach for an antibiotic already available at home, visit a pharmacy or ask for a particular injection.
But what happens when antibiotics are used when they are not needed? What happens when the wrong antibiotic is used, the dose is wrong or medication is taken without proper medical guidance?
The consequences may extend far beyond the individual patient.
Antibiotics are not general purpose medicines for every infection. They are medicines designed to fight certain infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. When they are used unnecessarily, incorrectly or for too long, we create a problem that extends beyond the illness being treated.
That problem is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms develop the ability to survive medicines that would ordinarily kill them or stop their growth. As resistance increases, infections that were once relatively easy to treat can become more difficult and expensive to manage, with fewer effective treatment options available.
The World Health Organization estimated that bacterial antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019. AMR is therefore not a distant problem reserved for laboratories or researchers. It is a patient safety and public health issue that affects how successfully we treat infections today and in the future.
So, how do we protect the medicines we still have?
One important answer is antimicrobial stewardship.
Antimicrobial stewardship means making sure that antimicrobial medicines are used appropriately. In simple terms, every prescription should have a reason behind it. The right medicine should be given to the right patient, at the right dose, through the right route and for the right duration.
It also means knowing when to review treatment.
A patient who starts an antibiotic should not necessarily remain on that same treatment simply because it was prescribed. As more information becomes available and the patient’s condition changes, treatment may need to be reviewed, adjusted, reduced or stopped when it is no longer necessary. The recommended approach includes reviewing antimicrobial therapy after 48–72 hours where appropriate.
This is where antimicrobial stewardship becomes everyone’s responsibility.
Doctors play a key role through rational prescribing. Pharmacists monitor, evaluate and educate on antimicrobial use. Nurses ensure medicines are administered correctly, while laboratory scientists provide timely and accurate results that can help guide treatment. Effective stewardship depends on these professionals working together.
But patients also have a role.
Self-medication with antibiotics can contribute to inappropriate use. So can taking an antibiotic simply because it worked for someone else, using leftover medication, taking the wrong dose or stopping treatment without professional guidance. Antibiotics should be taken only when prescribed and according to the instructions given by a qualified healthcare professional.
There is also an important lesson in the medicines we use most frequently.
The WHO AWaRe classification groups antibiotics into Access, Watch and Reserve categories. Access antibiotics are generally preferred as first-line options when appropriate; Watch antibiotics carry a higher risk of resistance and require more careful use, while Reserve antibiotics are intended for infections where other options may not work. Ceftriaxone, for example, falls within the Watch category.
Preliminary antimicrobial use data from an ongoing audit also reinforces the need for careful prescribing. Of 3,151 prescriptions sampled, 2,677 contained antimicrobials, while Watch antibiotics accounted for 46.1% of prescribed antimicrobials, with ceftriaxone being the most frequently used. These are preliminary research findings and are being used to better understand antimicrobial prescribing and guide improvement.
The goal of antimicrobial stewardship is not to deny patients treatment.
The goal is to ensure that patients receive effective treatment when they need it, while reducing avoidable adverse effects, treatment failures and costs and preserving the effectiveness of important medicines for the patients who will need them tomorrow.
The message from the Grand Round extends beyond the hospital walls: every antibiotic dose should have a reason, a duration and a review date.
Protecting the effectiveness of these medicines is a shared responsibility. Because the antibiotic that is used responsibly today may be the one that saves a life tomorrow.
At KWASUTH, the work continues. Not only to treat infections, but to promote responsible antimicrobial use and better patient care.
Kafayat Folashade Olayemi,
Corporate Affairs Department.
KWASUTH, Ilorin.
