Repeated prevalence studies on antibiotic use in Latvia, 2003-2007.
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.
Dimiņa
E
E
Pauls Stradins Clinical University hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Kūla
M
M
Caune
U
U
Vīgante
D
D
Liepiņs
M
M
Zeidaka
L
L
Nikitina
O
O
Kūriņa
D
D
Mironovska
A
A
Dumpis
U
U
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
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents