title: Repeated prevalence studies on antibiotic use in Latvia, 2003-2007.
abstract: Antibiotic resistance and nosocomial infections have recently been recognised as a growing threat in Latvian hospitals. We used a modified point prevalence study design to gain accurate information on the antibiotic prescription pattern and the prevalence of nosocomial infections in different hospital departments. A given department was observed on a given day in a given month (May) five years in a row. All antibiotic treatments, dose and route of administration were recorded, in addition to demographic data. The most commonly used antibiotic groups were first generation cephalosporins (35.6-38.9%), broad-spectrum penicillins (17.5-23.0%), fluoroquinolones (8.4-14.5%) and aminoglycosides (7.7-12.6%). Cefazolin was the most commonly used antibiotic. Antibiotics were predominantly used intravenously. The proportion of oral administration varied from 15.1% to 21.8%. A large proportion (13.3%) of the antibiotics was administered without clear reason. The crude prevalence rate of infection treated with antibiotics was 19.3%. The average prevalence of nosocomial infections was found to be 3.6%. These prevalence studies provided an opportunity to compare hospitals and outline variations and problem areas. They indicated the main problems in antibiotic prescription: large interhospital variations in the choice of an antibiotic for the most common infections, frequent antibiotic use without clear reason, and predominant intravenous administration.
authors.affiliation: Pauls Stradins Clinical University hospital, Riga, Latvia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dimiņa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kūla
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Caune
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vīgante
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liepiņs
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeidaka
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nikitina
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kūriņa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mironovska
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dumpis
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D006801:Humans; D007844:Latvia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents