ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in antibiotic use between a 'closed' ICU in a hospital in Israel and an 'open' ICU in a Kenyan hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. SETTING: The ICU of Beilinson hospital in Rabin Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel and the ICU of Mater Hospital, Nairobi Kenya. SUBJECTS: One hundred and forty patients from Beilinson and one hundred fifty one patients from Mater Hospital were enroled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Antibiotic use in the different ICU settings. RESULTS: Seven different antibiotics namely Erythromycin, Meropenem, Taxobactam/Piperacillin, Metronidazole, Gentamycin, Ceftriaxone and Cefuroxime were used in sufficient numbers in both centres to allow for statistical analysis. Four of these seven namely metronidazole, gentamycin, ceftriaxone and cefuroxime demonstrated statistically significant difference between the two centres. CONCLUSION: The level, of antibiotic use is demonstrably higher in 'open' ICUs with fewer controls to antibiotic prescriptions than in 'closed' ICUs with stricter control.
