Antimicrobial use varies widely across pediatric hospitals

Hospital use of antimicrobial medications varies between different patient populations, while hospital costs are affected by a small number of specific antimicrobial therapies, according to a recent study.

"Medications account for more than 10% of health care spending, and antimicrobials are consistently among the medication classes with the most expenditures in U.S. hospitals," Jason G. Newland, MD, MEd, division of infectious diseases, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, and colleagues wrote. "Both the volume and choice of antimicrobials used, however, vary substantially across centers."

The researchers analyzed the volume of antimicrobial use by drug, class, and clinical condition at 36 pediatric hospitals. All data used were from patients discharged in 2012 and gathered from the Pediatric Health Information System.