Possible savings with appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis.
Antibiotic utilization was studied for one month in 52 patients from two surgical wards and one urology ward in an 835 bed teaching hospital. The use of antibiotics was classified as prophylaxis or treatment and the cost of each regimen was determined. The appropriate antibiotic for prophylaxis was chosen according to the surgical procedure and as a result of a literature review. Using cefazolin as the drug of choice in suitable general surgery cases resulted in a justifiable cost for prophylaxis of $17.64 per patient and a possible saving of up to $67.01 per patient (possible total saving of up to $670.05 for the study population). It was concluded that appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients could lead to significant cost savings. Some techniques for improving antibiotic prescribing are reviewed.
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics*; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006801:Humans; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D009864:Ontario