title: Antibiotic use in Vietnamese hospitals: a multicenter point-prevalence study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing appears to be common worldwide and is contributing to the selection of resistant organisms. This study examined the prevalence of antibiotic prescription and the appropriateness of indications for these prescriptions in 36 representative general hospitals across Vietnam.
  
  
  METHODS
  A point-prevalence study was performed between February and December 2008. All inpatients on the day of the survey were included in the analysis. Standard published guidelines were used to evaluate the appropriateness of indications for antibiotic prescription.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the day of the study, 5,104 of 7,571 patients (67.4%) were receiving antibiotic therapy. The antibiotic prescription rate was highest in surgery wards (93.2%) and lowest in medical wards (48.2%). Of the 5,104 patients receiving antibiotics, the most commonly prescribed agents were cephalosporins (70.2%), penicillins (21.6%), and aminoglycosides (18.9%). Approximately one-third of the patients (1,573 of 5,104) had an inappropriate indication for prescription. Risk factors independently associated with inappropriate indication for antibiotic prescription were seen in hospitals at the national level, obstetrics and gynecology departments, and surgical wards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate a high rate of antibiotic use in Vietnamese hospitals, and also a high prevalence of inappropriate indications for antibiotic prescriptions. These findings suggest important areas for intervention and implementation of antibiotic stewardship policies in Vietnamese hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Young Leaders' Program in Healthcare Administration, Nagoya, Japan. truonganhthu2704@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Truong Anh
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Thu
authors.forename: Mahbubur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coffin
authors.forename: Md
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harun-Or-Rashid
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Nguyen Viet
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Hung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents