Publication
Title
Antibiotic consumption in southern and eastern Mediterranean hospitals: results from the ARMed project
Author
Abstract
Objectives: The intensity of antibiotic use in hospital settings is recognized as possibly the most important factor for the selection of antimicrobial resistance. Hospitals are therefore being encouraged to undertake surveillance and benchmarking of antimicrobial consumption patterns with a view to identify and rectify possible evidence of overuse or misuse. Methods: As part of the ARMed project, antibiotic use in 25 hospitals from the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries of Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Tunisia and Turkey was assessed prospectively for 24 months during the years 200405. The surveillance focused primarily on systemic antibiotics used in hospital care, aggregated at the level of the active substance, in accordance with the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. Results: The median total antibiotic use during the study period was 112 defined daily doses per 100 bed-days (DDD/100BD), with an inter-quartile range of 84428 DDD/100BD. The most common antibiotic groups prescribed were the extended-spectrum and combination penicillins, first- and third-generation cephalosporins and quinolones. Overall, a predominant consumption of wide-spectrum agents was noted, with a significant correlation between the levels of use of third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems. Conclusions: Emphasis on wide-spectrum agents could explain one possible factor behind the documented high prevalence of resistance in important pathogens within these same hospitals and suggests the need for improved antibiotic stewardship and prescribing programmes, which may well be applicable to the whole region.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy. - London, 1975, currens
Publication
London : 2008
ISSN
0305-7453 [print]
1460-2091 [online]
DOI
10.1093/JAC/DKN260
Volume/pages
62 :4 (2008) , p. 830-836
ISI
000259328300030
Note
On behalf of the ARMed Project Group
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 13.01.2009
Last edited 04.03.2024
To cite this reference