Korean J Intern Med.  2020 May;35(3):703-713. 10.3904/kjim.2017.332.

Ten-year trends in antibiotic usage at a tertiary care hospital in Korea, 2004 to 2013

• Kim B
• Hwang H
• Kim J
• Lee Mj
• Pai H

• KMID: 2502061
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2017.332

Abstract

Background/Aims
This study was performed to evaluate trends in antibiotic usage at a tertiary care hospital in Korea.
Methods
This study collated antibiotic prescription data and total patient days for inpatients at a tertiary care hospital in Korea between 2004 and 2013. The consumption of each class of antibiotic was converted to defined daily dose (DDD)/1,000 patient-days. We defined 3rd generation cephalosporins, 4th generation cephalosporins, β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors, and fluoroquinolones as broad-spectrum antibiotics; carbapenems, tigecycline, glycopeptides, oxazolidinone, and polymyxin were defined as antibiotics against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Other antibiotic classes were defined as nonbroad-spectrum antibiotics.
Results
Mean antibiotic consumption was 920.69 DDD/1,000 patient-days. The proportions of broad-spectrum antibiotics, antibiotics against MDR pathogens, and nonbroad-spectrum antibiotics were 41.8% (384.48/920.69), 3.5% (32.24/920.69), and 54.7% (503.97/920.69), respectively. Consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics (coefficient for time 0.141; p = 0.049) and antibiotics against MDR pathogens (coefficient for time 0.185; p < 0.001) showed a significant increasing trend over the study period. Nonbroad-spectrum antibiotic consumption showed a significant decreasing trend over the study period (coefficient for time –2.601; p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Over the 10-year period, a stepwise increase in the consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics and antibiotics against MDR pathogens was observed at a tertiary care hospital in Korea. Conversely, during the same period, nonbroad-spectrum antibiotic consumption showed a significant decreasing trend.

Keyword

Anti-bacterial agents; Hospitals; Korea