INJECTABLE CEPHALOSPORINS USEIN VIETNAMESE HOSPITALS:A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL MULTICENTER STUDY

Objective: The objective of this research was to investigate the use of injectable cephalosporins for inpatients at eleven hospitals in An-Giang province, Vietnam.Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted through retrieving the medical inpatient data at eleven hospitals in An-Giang province over the 01-12/2015 period.Results: The sample included 23155 treatment episodes with cephalosporins. Among them, 86% were used only one agent of cephalosporins, mainly cefotaxime. Among cases administrated concurrently different antibiotic classes, combinations of cephalosporins and gentamycin were the majority. All treatment episodes correlated with sixteen indication groups of infection treatment, in which the leading groups were "pneumonia", "gastrointestinal infections" and "cesarean" according to the numbers of treatment episodes and the costs of cephalosporins used. 6.61 billion VND was spent for cephalosporins which accounted for 98% of the total injectable antibiotic cost over the twelve-month period at eleven hospitals in An-Giang.Conclusion: Analysis of injectable cephalosporins consumption, and multicenter approach, has a crucial importance for further survey of antibiotic de-escalation protocol in hospitals in An-Giang.