Avicenna Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global challenge, and information on antibiotic usage is required to combat this issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the consumption pattern of three expensive antibiotics (meropenem, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime) in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Hamadan.

Methods: All patients who were admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, in the first 6 months of 2019 as the period before the COVID-19 epidemic and the first 6 months of 2021 as the period during the epidemic and after hospitalization, entered this retrospective cross-sectional study. They received meropenem, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime for treatment and underwent examination. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results: Overall, 213 (35.2%), 270 (34.2%), and 187 (30.6%) patients received meropenem, cefepime, and ciprofloxacin, respectively. In 2.5% of cases, the selected antibiotic was appropriate considering the type of identified microorganism, while in 10.9% and 86.6% of cases, it was wrong or not tested, respectively. The sites of infection for the patients were bacteremia (n=2, 0.3%), coronary artery catheter (n=3, 0.5%), kidney and bladder (n=14, 2.3%), and skin and soft tissue (n=1, 0.2%).

Conclusion: Based on the results, for most cases receiving three expensive antibiotics (meropenem, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime) in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, it is impossible to judge if the prescription has been rational or not.