Hospital antibiotic policy in a health district.

A hospital antibiotic policy is described in which only a few antibiotics were used over a two-year period. Six antibiotics--namely, ampicillin, cloxacillin, cephradine, penicillin, erythromycin, and oxytetracycline--accounted for 98% of the antibiotics consumed. Gentamicin was not used topically. Apart from high levels of resistance to ampicillin in Staphylococcus aureus (80%), the Enterobacteriaceae (37%), and Bacteroides (83%), antibiotic resistance was not a problem and no major epidemics of cross-infection occurred. With this policy antibiotic consumption declined and the total true cost of the antibiotics fell from 16 361 pounds in 1976 to 10 448 pounds in 1978.