[Self-assessment of patterns of antibiotic use in a university hospital]

A questionnaire was used to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of antibiotic prescribing among doctors at a university hospital.

An anonymous questionnaire was directly distributed by a staff member of the Infectious Diseases Department.

A total of 316 questionnaires were distributed with 100% response rate; antibiotic dose, route of administration, and treatment duration were always adjusted according to site of infection and underlying conditions in 65, 68 and 45%, respectively. Antibiotic de-escalation was recognized as usual practice in 20%; 31 and 10% considered potential microbiological resistances and economical-cost when taking prescription decisions, respectively; 16% admitted often prescribing antibiotics with no clinical indication. There were no major significant differences between staff and training physicians, or between surgical or medical specialists.

The self-perception of physicians and residents in our hospital is that they make improper use of antimicrobials.