Ciprofloxacin usage at a local hospital.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Antimicrobial Stewardship

Background:

• Quinolones are potent antibiotics with a risk of driving antimicrobial resistance.
• Hospital use of quinolones in Norway peaked in 2012 and has since decreased.
• Adherence to national quinolone guidelines in hospitals requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the appropriateness of quinolone prescribing in a Norwegian hospital.
• To evaluate compliance with national antibiotic guidelines for quinolone use.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of inpatient quinolone prescriptions (September-December 2018).
• Inclusion of patients over 12 years old prescribed quinolones.
• Expert panel assessment of prescribing against national guidelines.

Main Results:

• Ciprofloxacin use was non-compliant with recommendations in 92% of evaluated inpatient cases.
• Inappropriate indications for ciprofloxacin were common in medical, surgical, and orthopedic departments.

Conclusions:

• Ciprofloxacin is frequently used outside recommended indications in this Norwegian hospital.
• Suboptimal prescribing practices may exacerbate antimicrobial resistance.
• Guidelines for quinolone use require stricter adherence in clinical practice.