Prophylactic antimicrobial drug therapy at five London teaching hospitals. A report by the Study Group on the Use of Antimicrobial Drugs.

We report some findings of a survey of antimicrobial prophylaxis in 5 London teaching hospitals. It is practised predominantly in surgical patients, both before and after operations, penicillins being by far the commonest drugs. Striking differences were found, particularly in the duration of treatment in different hospitals in the same specialty, and also between consultants in the same hospital. The findings raise important questions that need to be answered by clinical trials.