antibiotics Article Assessment of Adherence to the Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs: A Survey of the Tertiary Care Hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan Naeem Mubarak 1,* , Asma Sarwar Khan 1, Taheer Zahid 1 , Umm e Barirah Ijaz 1, Muhammad Majid Aziz 1, Rabeel Khan 1, Khalid Mahmood 2 , Nasira Saif-ur-Rehman 1,* and Che Suraya Zin 3,* 1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Lahore Medical & Dental College, University of Health Sciences, Lahore 54600, Pakistan;
[email protected] (A.S.K.);
[email protected] (T.Z.);
[email protected] (U.e.B.I.);
[email protected] (M.M.A.);
[email protected] (R.K.) 2 Institute of Information Management, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
[email protected] 3 Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan 25200, Malaysia * Correspondence:
[email protected] (N.M.);
[email protected] (N.S.-u.-R.);
[email protected] (C.S.Z.) Abstract: Background: To restrain antibiotic resistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC), United States of America, urges all hospital settings to implement the Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (CEHASP). However, the concept of hospital-based antibiotic stewardship programs is relatively new in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Aim: To Citation: Mubarak, N.; Khan, A.S.; appraise the adherence of the tertiary care hospitals to seven CEHASPs. Design and Setting: A cross- Zahid, T.; Ijaz, U.e.B.; Aziz, M.M.; sectional study in the tertiary care hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan. Method: CEHASP assessment tool, Khan, R.; Mahmood, K.; (a checklist) was used to collect data from the eligible hospitals based on purposive sampling.