Antibiotic control in a municipal hospital

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Abstract
The choice of an antibiotic for a patient is often a difficult decision. The clinician must contend with a bewildering variety of bacteria and use a number of expensive and toxic antimicrobial agents judiciously. To deal with the problems of excessive and inappropriate use, the medical staff of Coney Island Hospital [New York, USA] established compulsory, prospective antibiotic control. Two years after initiation of this program, changes in sensitivity patterns of hospital flora, physicians'' prescribing habits and antibiotic use were analyzed. A trend toward increasing resistance on the part of some gram-negative isolates to certain .beta.-lactam antibiotics was noted. Antibiotic costs decreased an average of 38.degree., while prescribing skills improved.