[Antibiotic Use Analysis in Long-term Care Hospitals in the Republic of Korea]

Patients in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) are vulnerable to infections and are frequently prescribed antibiotics; however, the inappropriate use of antibiotics is common, leading to a high risk of developing resistance. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducted a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of antibiotic use and surveyed doctor's perceptions in domestic LTCHs from 2020 to 2022. The survey results showed that LTCHs had the highest antibiotic usage among the various healthcare institutions, with a 28.1% increase in usage from 2020 to 2022. Moreover, the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for patients was low at only 35.2% (252/715). Due to inadequate awareness of antibiotic use, many LTCHs doctors have expressed a strong demand for proper antimicrobial stewardship. Since LTCHs lack personnel and infectious disease diagnosis infrastructure necessary to perform antimicrobial stewardship programs, customized antibiotic use guidelines for LTCHs are needed.