[The profile of antimicrobial utilization in a private hospital]

The antimicrobials are one of the groups of the most prescribed drugs in hospitals and which cause a great concern for the suitability of their use. The profile of the antimicrobials utilized in a private hospital in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul State was described and the quantity of each antimicrobial consumed was analyzed. All the prescriptions of patients who utilized antimicrobials while they were hospitalized in the period from March to June 2006 were analyzed. The antimicrobial consumption was expressed in Defined Daily Dose (DDD) in 100 day-beds. The antimicrobial utilization analysis were done generally speaking and divided by age groups and by medical clinics. During the studying period the antimicrobial use prevalence was of 52.4 % (IC 95 % 49.2 - 55.7). The cephalosporins were the most utilized (43.4 %), followed by the penicillins (16.3 %), fluoroquinolones (13.0 %) and aminoglycosides (9.7 %). The high consumption of antimicrobials during the studying period is the result of the absence of a policy for controlling the drugs prescribed in hospital and the lack of protocols of antimicrobial use. In order to exist a control of antimicrobial consumption the hospitals must assume a surveillance policy on the prescriptions of this drug group.