Antibiotics are too often prescribed to prevent infections among pediatric inpatients

New study published in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society evaluated antibiotic prescription practices for hospitalized children at 226 pediatric hospitals in 41 countries worldwide. According to this study, nearly a third of all antibiotics prescribed for hospitalized children were intended to prevent potential infections rather than to treat disease. Researchers found 11 899 total antibiotic prescriptions and 28,6 % of these were for prophylactic use. In addition, of the antibiotics prescribed for prophylactic use, 26,6 % were to prevent potential infection associated with an upcoming surgery. Half of all preventive antibiotic prescriptions were for broad-spectrum antibiotics. The study findings contradict current appropriate antibiotic use guidelines; clear targets for improving antibiotic prescribing in pediatric patient is needed in order to avoid development of antibiotic resistance and drug-resistant infections.

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Read more: https://academic.oup.com/jpids/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jpids/piy019/4939181?redirectedFrom=fulltext