Pharm World Sci
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Clinical Trial
The impact of an intensive antimicrobial control program in a Taiwanese medical center.
The study evaluates the short term impacts of an intensive control program for the appropriate us of antimicrobials, and to provide a novel strategy for antimicrobial control in inpatient wards in Taiwan. ⋯ This study reports positive responses to intensive antimicrobial control measures among health professionals within a Taiwanese medical center. Following the implementation of the intensive control program, both prescriptions and consumption levels of parenteral antimicrobials were reduced without compromising the clinical outcomes of patients, while the susceptibility patterns of bacterial organisms mostly remained stable. Long-term control of parenteral antimicrobials under such a program may well produce significant benefits for inpatients through the overall rationalization of antimicrobial usage, leading to potential reductions in both the incidence of adverse effects and the burden of resistant organisms. A method of incorporating this intensive control program into a computerized prescription order system is currently under construction.