The cost of antibiotic therapy, the emergence of resistant organisms, and the inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents dictate the need for surveillance programs. It is well known that the antimicrobial use review(AUR) program has increased the quality of antimicrobial therapy in hospital settings.
In this report, we describe our experiences with AUR program at Samsung Medical Center since September 1, 1995. Four intravenous antimicrobial agents, amikacin, aztreonam, carumonam and imipenem/cilastatin were selected and controlled as restricted agents. The prescriber was required to complete the antibiotic order sheet (AOS) which states the indication for use (prophylaxis, empirical therapy, or treatment of documented infection), the site of infection and the suspected or documented organism. Prior to dispensing the above antibiotics, Inpatient Pharmacy should receive the AOS approved by the Infectious Diseases Specialist.
The use of restricted antimicrobials was reviewed 8 months before and after the start of AUR program. Prescription of amikacin and aztreonam had been reduced by 64.4％ and 64.1％, respectively. However, the change of imipenem/cilastatin use was insignificant was not prescribed at all during the study period. Restricted utilization of the antimicrobial agents was successfully optimized with implementation of the antimicrobial restriction policy.
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