Antimicrobial therapy in patients hospitalized in a medical ward. A report from the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program
Levy, M.; Nir, I.; Superstine, E.; Birnbaum, D.; Eliakim, M.
Israel Journal of Medical Sciences 11(4): 322-334
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-2180 PMID: 806551 Document Number: 92314
The pattern of use of antimicrobial agents in 1,700 patients hospitalized in a medical ward at the Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, during 1969--72, is analyzed. Penicillins comprised 56%, tetracyclines 11%, streptomycin 9% and cephalosporins 3% of the total antimicrobial exposures. Ampicillin was given to 20% of the patient population. The use of tetracyclines and chloramphenicol fell steadily from 1969 to 1972. Fifty-five percent of the recipients of antimicrobial drugs received only one agent, 19% had concomitant therapy with several agents and the remainder received multiple antimicrobial drugs sequentially. One hundred and ten patients (6.5%) developed adverse reactions; the most common being rash and gastrointestinal reactions. Only two of the reactions were classified as causing major morbidity.