A multicenter point prevalence study: Antimicrobial prescription frequencies in hospitalized patients in Turkey

Background: Accurate information about prescribing patterns in hospitals is valuable in improving the quality of antimicrobial prescriptions. Methods: Data on the use of antimicrobial agents in eighteen tertiary care hospitals were collected on March 20th 2002. Results: One or more antimicrobials were ordered in 2900 (30.6%) of 9471 hospitalized patients. The reasons of hospitalization of the patients receiving antimicrobials were medical treatment (42.5%), elective surgery (39.6%), treatment of infectious disease (17.1%) and emergent surgical procedures (10.4%). The highest consumption frequencies were found in surgical (81.6%) and medical (55.2%) intensive care units. The 48.8% of antimicrobials were given for treatment and 44.2% for prophylactic use. The most common reasons for treatment were found as lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, surgical wound infections and febrile neutropenia. Antimicrobials were ordered empirically in 78.4% of patients. The proven infection ratio was found as 30.7%. The 56.4% and 13.4% of orders were evaluated as clinically and microbiologically appropriate respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that antimicrobial prescription and empirical treatment ratios were high and inappropriate at inpatient groups.