Examining Antibiotic Use at an Education and Research Hospital in Turkey: Point Prevalence Results

Aims: Antimicrobial drugs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in hospitals. Inappropriate use of antibiotics leads to development of antimicrobial resistance. The aims of this study were to determine the rate of antibiotic usage in hospitalized patients, the reasons for antibiotic therapy, irrational uses, and the rates of irrational use in patients hospitalized in Ankara Education and Research Hospital.Materials and Methods: A point prevalence surveillance study was performed on 27 April 2006 at Ankara Education and Research Hospital. Data of all hospitalized patients were collected. Results: On the day of the study, 153 patients (36.2%) out of 422 in-patients were being given one or more antibiotics. In 64 of the patients (41.8%), antibiotic therapy was for treatment, and in 89 (58.2%) it was given as prophylaxis. Usage of antibiotics for either treatment or prophylaxis was appropriate in 69 patients(45.7%), whereas it was inappropriate in the remaining 84 patients (54.3%). Inappropriate use of antibiotics was more common in surgical clinics (62.7%) when compared with medical clinics (24.1%) (P 0.001). Conclusions: Inappropriate usage of antibiotics was detected particularly in surgical clinics in our hospital. Astrict surveillance of surgical patients and preparation of a local surgical prophylaxis guideline could help to improve the appropriate use of antibiotic treatment.