Seminar highlights antibiotic abuse at local hospitals

Antibiotics abuse is common in domestic hospitals, particularly in cases involving young patients, medical specialists said during a seminar on the subject in Shanghai on Friday.

“Many antibiotics are not necessary for patients. The majority of children with respiratory infection at outpatient departments don't need antibiotics,” said Dr Zhai Xiaowen, vice president of the Children’s Hospital at Fudan University.

Among other factors, the overuse of antibiotics is caused by a poor understanding of these drugs by both patients and medical staff, as well as over-reliance on drugs in general, said experts.

To control antibiotics abuse among children, the hospital practices antimicrobial stewardship, a globally recognized antibiotic management system. This system involves input from infectious disease doctors, clinical micro-organism lab staff and pharmacists to reduce unnecessary antibiotics use.

“After adopting the program, the use of antibiotics in our hospital dropped, with better medical effects. The hospitalization time for critical newborn babies dropped from 444 days to 378 days and the use of antibiotics for children with acute otitis media, a common pediatric disease, dropped by one-fourth,” Zhai said. “The use of antibiotics is also more in line with evidence-based medicine. We are promoting the program to other hospitals in Shanghai and the nation.”

Some 200 health officials, World Health Organization experts and doctors from leading hospitals in the nation participated the seminar to discuss children’s drug safety and antibiotics control.