Control of antibiotic therapy in pediatric patients. I. A computer system to collect and analyze antibiotic prescriptions in hospitals.

A computer system to record and analyze antibiotic prescriptions in hospitalized children is described. This system is especially organized in order to obtain simultaneously a quantitative evaluation of antibiotic use and a qualitative analysis of the process by which the physician makes his decision for therapy. The practical employment of this program has been demonstrated by analyzing 765 prescriptions given in nine different pediatric hospital wards. Many errors of prescription have been demonstrated: antibiotic therapy was based on the clinical impression alone in 31.5% of the prescriptions, antibiotic choice was rational in 20.1% and the posology prescribed complied with the usually applied schemes in 22.4%. Finally, the physician's attitude regarding laboratory monitoring of side effects was adequate in 52.8% before treatment and 33.4% during antibiotic treatment.