Antibiotic Use in a Local Hospital in Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Medical Records among Urinary Tract Infection Patients

Abstract

Dung Viet Nguyen, Tram Thi Huyen Nguyen, Thoai Dang Nguyen, Xuan Minh Ngo, Trung Quang Vo, Thuy Phan Chung Tran, Tro Van Chau, Khoa Dang Nguyen, Hiep Tung Bui, Tri Dang Minh Bui, Chi Dang Phuong Bui, Hien The Pham

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a commonly occurring disease that imposes a considerable burden on healthcare sectors all over the world. UTI-causing agents proliferate in hospital environments, but this condition can be treated entirely through the appropriate use of antibiotics. UTI is among the top five diseases worldwide that entail large-scale antibiotic treatment. This study was aimed at investigating antibiotic use as part of UTI treatment in An Giang General Hospital (AGGH) in Vietnam. This cross-sectional research was conducted from January to September 2019, with the medical records of inpatients at the Department of Urology as sources of data. Eighteen codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, were referred to during the collection of data on diagnosis. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistical calculations run on Microsoft Excel 2010. This study assessed 552 eligible patients with an average age of 48.2±14.4. These patients were issued 2,992 prescriptions and treated with 5,177 antibiotics. The most frequently contracted disease was urolithiasis with infection. Among the cases, 130 switched to different antibiotics over the course of treatment. More than 52% of the prescriptions advised the use of one antibiotic, whereas 27 prescriptions directed the administration to use four or more antibiotics. The most common treatment combination comprised beta-lactam and beta-lactamase inhibitors. Antibiotic use at AGGH requires a comprehensive assessment because of the overuse of such medications in the institution.