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Published on: February 9, 2011
Prescription of antimicrobial drugs to hospitalized children
1Department of the Organization and Management of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, Czechoslovakia.
Insights
Antimicrobial drug prescribing was analyzed in hospitalized children, with nearly 70% receiving antibiotics. Ampicillin and oxacillin were most common, particularly in infants aged 6 months to 1.5 years.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pharmacology
- Infectious disease management
- Healthcare economics
Background:
- Antimicrobial drug (AMD) use in pediatric populations requires careful monitoring.
- Understanding prescribing patterns is crucial for optimizing treatment and controlling costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the profile, frequency, and cost of AMD prescribing in hospitalized children.
- To examine these patterns in relation to patient age, gender, and diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of medical records from 1000 randomly selected hospitalized children.
- Data collected from a pediatric clinic in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) during 1987-1988.
- Analysis of AMD prescribing patterns, including drug type, quantity per patient, and cost.
Main Results:
- AMDs were prescribed to 69.9% of patients, with an average of 1.91 AMDs per child.
- Ampicillin (20.0%) and oxacillin (12.8%) were the most frequently prescribed AMDs.
- The highest AMD utilization was observed in children aged 6 months to 1.5 years (88.6%).
Conclusions:
- This study offers a comprehensive overview of AMD prescribing in hospitalized children in Bratislava.
- The findings highlight specific age groups and drugs that warrant attention for antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
Objective:
To analyze with regard to age, gender, and diagnosis, the profile, frequency of prescribing, and cost of antimicrobial drugs (AMDs) in hospitalized children.
Design:
Retrospective study of medical records of children hospitalized during 1987 and 1988.
Setting:
First Pediatric Clinic, Children's Teaching Hospital, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).
Patients:
One thousand randomly selected hospitalized children.
Main Outcome Measures:
Patterns of AMD prescribing. Consumption is expressed by the number of drugs and cost per child.
Results:
AMDs were prescribed to 69.9 percent of the patients (average 1.91 per patient). Ampicillin was the drug most frequently prescribed (20.0 percent), followed by oxacillin (12.8 percent). The mean length of stay was 15.9 days. An average of 3.61 drugs from other pharmacotherapeutic categories were prescribed per patient. Most children who received AMD treatment were in the 1-year group (patients between six months and 1.5 years of age [88.6 percent]).
Conclusions:
This study provides an overview of the prescribing of AMDs and other drugs in hospitalized children in Bratislava.
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