A multicenter point-prevalence study: antimicrobial prescription frequencies in hospitalized patients in turkey

BACKGROUND: Accurate information about prescribing patterns in hospitals is valuable in improving the quality of antimicrobial prescriptions. METHODS: Data on the use of antimicrobial agents in eighteen tertiary care hospitals were collected on March 20th 2002. RESULTS: One or more antimicrobials were ordered in 2900 (30.6 %)of 9471 hospitalized patients. The reasons of hospitalization of the patients receiving antimicrobials were medical treatment (42.5 %), elective surgery (39.6 %), treatment of infectious disease (17.1 %) and emergent surgical procedures (10.4 %). The highest consumption frequencies were found in surgical (81.6 %) and medical (55.2 %) intensive care units. The 48.8 % of antimicrobials were given for treatment and 44.2 % for prophylactic use. The most common reasons for treatment were found as lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, surgical wound infections and febrile neutropenia. Antimicrobials were ordered empirically in 78.4 % of patients. The proven infection ratio was found as 30.7 %. The 56.4 % and 13.4 % of orders were evaluated as clinically and microbiologically appropriate respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that antimicrobial prescription and empirical treatment ratios were high and inappropriate at inpatient groups.