A prospective study of the use of antibiotics in the Emergency Department of a Chinese University Hospital

Background Antibiotics are one of the most widely misused group of medicines. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of antibiotics in one of the paediatric emergency departments in China. Methods We performed a prospective, cross‐sectional study of antibiotic use in the paediatric emergency room of West China Second University Hospital. A total of 500 consecutive patients from March 25 to April 3 2013 were included. Clinical details of the patients were also collected in order to analyse antibiotic use. Key findings The median age of patients was 2 years 2 months. The five most common conditions seen in the emergency department were wheezy bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infections, tonsillitis, pneumonia and diarrhoea. A total of 311 children (62%) received antibiotics. The antibiotics prescribed were predominantly cephalosporins and penicillins. More than one antibiotic was used in 51 patients. In total, 75% of the antibiotics prescribed were cephalosporins. More than three‐quarters of the young children with wheezy bronchitis received antibiotics. Antibiotic use for children with an upper respiratory tract infections or tonsillitis was greater than the 20% maximum recommended by the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption. Conclusions The majority of children attending the emergency department received antibiotics. For many of the conditions, the use of antibiotics was inappropriate.