Table 1. Characteristics of studies included in the review of antibiotic stewardship interventions in hospitals in low-and middle-income countries.

Authors, year	Study design	Country	Setting	Participants	Intervention type	Intervention details	Target illness
Weinberg et al., 200139	Interrupted time-series	Colombia	2 referral hospitals	Surgeons performing caesarean sections	Bundle	Guidelines on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis; structural changes (availability of prophylactic antibiotics on site); audit and feedback to physicians and nurses at hospital and individual level	Surgical site infections after caesarean section
Perez et al., 200340	Interrupted time-series	Colombia	2 university hospitals	Hospital A: all prescribers; hospital B: anaesthesiologists	Bundle	Prescription form with (un)restricted antibiotics; educational campaign; reminders in the workplace	NR
Gülmezoglu et al., 200727	Cluster randomized controlled trial	Mexico and Thailand	22 non-university maternity hospitals	Physicians, midwives, interns, students	Structural	Access to WHO’s online Reproductive Health Library44 and workshops on its use	Surgical site infections after caesarean section
Hadi et al., 200834	Interrupted time-series	Indonesia	1 teaching hospital	All prescribers of 5 internal medicine wards	Enabling	Antibiotic guidelines; education for prescribers	NR
Özkaya et al., 200926	Non-randomized controlled trial	Turkey	1 university hospital	Paediatric emergency department residents	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by influenza rapid test versus no laboratory investigation	Mild influenza-like illness
Rattanaumpawan et al., 201032	Non-randomized controlled trial	Thailand	1 public university hospital	All prescribers	Persuasive	Audit and feedback to prescribers by infectious diseases specialist	NR
Long et al., 201118	Randomized controlled trial	China	1 university hospital	Emergency department physicians	Structural	Antibiotic initiation and discontinuation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine carea	Community-acquired pneumonia
Maravić-Stojković et al., 201120	Randomized controlled trial	Serbia	1 tertiary hospital	Cardiac surgery and intensive care unit staff	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine care (based on clinical signs, C-reactive protein levels and leukocyte count)	Infections after coronary artery bypass grafting or valve surgery
Shen et al., 201133	Cluster randomized controlled trial	China	1 tertiary hospital	All prescribers of 2 pulmonary wards	Persuasive	Audit and feedback to prescribers by clinical pharmacist	Respiratory tract infections
Opondo et al., 201137	Cluster randomized controlled trial	Kenya	8 district hospitals	Nurses, clinical and medical officers	Bundle	Guidelines for treatment of non-bloody diarrhoea; education for prescribers; audit and feedback to prescribers on hospital performance	Non-bloody diarrhoea
Bucher et al., 201225	Randomized controlled trial	Peru	1 public hospital	Paediatric emergency department physicians	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by faecal rotavirus rapid test in combination with a faecal leukocyte test versus faecal leukocyte test only	Acute diarrhoea
Magedanz et al., 201241	Interrupted time-series	Brazil	1 university hospital	All prescribers of the cardiology department	Bundle	Restriction of certain antibiotics; audit and feedback to prescribers by (i) infectious diseases specialist and (ii) pharmacist	NR
Qu et al., 201224	Randomized controlled trial	China	1 municipal hospital	Intensive care unit staff	Structural	Antibiotic initiation and discontinuation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus standard 14 days of antibiotics	Severe acute pancreatitis
Ding et al., 201317	Randomized controlled trial	China	1 tertiary hospital	Respiratory ward physicians	Structural	Antibiotic initiation and discontinuation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine care (based on clinical experience, sputum bacteriology results and leukocyte count)	Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Aiken et al., 201336	Interrupted time-series	Kenya	1 public referral hospital	Nursing, medical and operating theatre staff	Bundle	Guidelines on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis; clinician education; patient education posters; audit and feedback to prescribers	Surgical site infections
Oliveira et al., 201323	Randomized controlled trial	Brazil	2 public university hospitals	Intensive care unit staff	Structural	Antibiotic discontinuation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus C-reactive protein test	Sepsis or septic shock
Tang et al., 201321	Randomized controlled trial	China	1 university hospital	Emergency department physicians	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine carea	Acute asthma exacerbation
Chandy et al., 201435	Interrupted time-series	India	1 private tertiary hospital	All prescribers	Enabling	Implementation and dissemination of antibiotic prescribing guidelines	NR
Long et al., 201419	Randomized controlled trial	China	1 university hospital	Emergency department physicians	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine carea	Acute asthma exacerbation
Najafi et al., 201522	Randomized controlled trial	Islamic Republic of Iran	1 university hospital	Intensive care unit staff	Structural	Antibiotic initiation guided by serum procalcitonin level versus routine carea	Severe inflammatory response syndrome
Bao et al., 201542	Interrupted time-series	China	65 public hospitals (30 tertiary; 35 secondary)	All prescribers	Bundle	Implementation of a nationally imposed multifaceted antibiotic stewardship programme	NR
Sun et al., 201543	Interrupted time-series	China	15 public tertiary hospitals	All prescribers	Bundle	Implementation of a nationally imposed multifaceted antibiotic stewardship programme	NR
Gong et al., 201638	Interrupted time-series	China	1 tertiary paediatric hospital	Paediatricians	Bundle	Antibiotic guidelines and prescribing restrictions; audit and feedback to prescribers by pharmacists and infection control physicians; financial penalties according to number of noncompliant prescriptions	NR
Brink et al., 201629	Interrupted time-series	South Africa	47 private hospitals	Physicians, other clinical staff and managers	Persuasive	Audit and feedback to prescribers by a pharmacist	NR
Li et al., 201730	Non-randomized controlled trial	China	6 university hospitals	Physicians of 8 intensive care units	Persuasive	Audit and feedback to prescribers by a pharmacist versus no intervention	NR
Tuon et al., 201728	Interrupted time-series	Brazil	1 university hospital	All prescribers	Structural	Mobile phone application providing antibiotic prescribing guidance	NR
Wattal et al., 201731	Interrupted time-series	India	1 tertiary hospital	Surgeons of 45 units	Persuasive	Audit and feedback to prescribers; focus group discussions per specialty	NR

NR: not reported; WHO: World Health Organization.

^a The content of routine care was not specified.