title: Use of antibiotics in hospitals in south-western France.
abstract: Data on the use of antibiotics were collected by means of a questionnaire from 49 hospitals in south-western France. Use was expressed as a usage density rate: number of defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 patient-days. The average use of antibiotics amounted to 402 DDDs per 1000 patient-days and varied between 60 and 734. In acute-care wards, the amount of antibiotic use increased with the size of the hospital: 461 DDDs per 1000 patient-days for group A (<100 beds), 510 DDDs per 1000 patient-days for group B (more than 100 and less then 300 beds) and 676 DDDs per 1000 patient-days for group C (>300 beds). The rate of use differed among different types of hospital areas and varied from 58 for psychiatry departments to more than 1273 DDDs per 1000 patient-days for the infectious diseases departments. Broad-spectrum penicillins were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. Fluoroquinolone and third-generation cephalosporin use were relatively uniform in the three size categories. This study shows that it is possible for a hospital to benchmark its consumption with other hospitals that are similar in size. In this way, surveillance of antibiotic use can aid hospitals in targeting infection control efforts.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hygiène Hospitalière, Hôpital Pellegrin, CHU de Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France. anne-marie.rogues@chu-bordeaux.fr
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rogues
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Placet-Thomazeau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parneix
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ploy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Merillou
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Labadie
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gachie
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents