Purpose: Our aim was to investigate outpatient antibiotic use and assess the impacts of intervention in five Chinese children's hospitals from 2002 to 2006.
Methods: The Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical Classification/Defined Daily Doses and Drug Utilization 90% methodologies were used. We also analyzed the relationship between antibiotic consumption and resistant rate in one of the hospitals.
Results: The overall antibiotic consumption decreased during the intervention period in some hospitals, and the variation in use between hospitals was also reduced. A decrease in penicillins and first-generation cephalosporins, and an increase in third-generation cephalosporins as well as in the combinations of penicillins and beta-lactamase inhibitors were observed. In addition, an increasing resistance to antibiotics was a concern due to antibiotic overconsumption.
Conclusions: The intervention had effects on the overall antibiotic use in outpatients. However, over the span of 5 years, there was a decrease in the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics and an increase in broad-spectrum antibiotics.