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Antibiotic utilisation for hospitalised paediatric patients
M A van Houten1, K Luinge, M Laseur
1Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
|August 26, 1998
Summary
Pediatric antibiotic use is high, often without proven infection. Infants and ICU patients receive more antibiotics, highlighting a need for targeted control strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pharmacology
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Antimicrobial stewardship
Background:
- Antibiotic prescribing is common in pediatrics, raising concerns about rising healthcare costs, inconsistent practices, and antimicrobial resistance.
- Effective antibiotic policies require detailed knowledge of current prescribing patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze antibiotic utilization in a pediatric university hospital over three consecutive years.
- To identify patterns in antibiotic prescribing, including drug class, dose, duration, and indication.
Main Methods:
- Combined retrospective and prospective study analyzing patient charts over 8-week periods in 1994, 1995, and 1996.
- Data collected included antibiotic prescriptions (generic class, dose, duration, indication) for 1120 admitted children.
Main Results:
- Antibiotics were prescribed to 36% of hospitalized children; only 12.3% had a proven bacterial infection.
- Infants (<2 years) and intensive care unit (ICU) patients received antibiotics more frequently and in greater numbers of courses.
- Significant variability in antibiotic dosing and duration was observed for similar clinical indications.
Conclusions:
- A high percentage of hospitalized children receive antibiotics, frequently on an empirical basis without confirmed bacterial infection.
- Younger children and those in the ICU are at higher risk for multiple antibiotic courses, necessitating focused strategies to control antibiotic use and mitigate resistance.
- Interventions should prioritize these high-risk groups to improve antimicrobial stewardship in pediatric settings.