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Antimicrobial defined daily dose adjusted by weight: a proposal for antibiotic consumption measurement in children

Elena Montecatine-Alonso1, María-Victoria Gil-Navarro1, Cecilia M Fernández-Llamazares2

  • 1Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBIS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.

Enfermedades Infecciosas Y Microbiologia Clinica (English Ed.)
|October 1, 2018
PubMed

Insights

A new method for measuring antimicrobial consumption in children was developed. This pediatric defined daily dose (DDD) approach accounts for weight and age, improving antimicrobial stewardship program accuracy.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Antimicrobial stewardship
  • Public health

Background:

  • The standard defined daily dose (DDD) is not ideal for measuring antimicrobial consumption in children.
  • Pediatric antimicrobial use requires a tailored measurement approach.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and describe a new method for calculating pediatric defined daily doses (DDD).
  • To adapt antimicrobial consumption metrics for pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of children under 16 years old from 10 Spanish hospitals was studied over 12 months.
  • Weight-for-age was determined using World Health Organization standards for the median age.
  • Pediatric DDD (g) was calculated using the child's weight and the recommended antimicrobial dose for common infections.

Main Results:

  • The study included 40,575 children, with median ages of 4.17 years for boys and 4.81 years for girls.
  • The mean weight for the median age cohort was 17.08 kg.
  • Standardized DDD values were calculated for several representative antimicrobials.

Conclusions:

  • A practical method for measuring pediatric antimicrobial DDD has been proposed.
  • Further validation is recommended for implementation in pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Abstract

Keywords:
Antibiotic prescriptionAntibiotic usageAntimicrobial managementManejo de antibióticosPaediatricsPediatríaPrescripción antibióticaUso de antibióticos

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