Hospital antibiotic management in Germany--results of the ABS maturity survey of the ABS International group.

Background: There is much discussion about which measure or bundle of measures is most efficient in hospital antibiotic management programs, and it is often unknown which parts of such programs are readily available. The ABS International group conducted a survey to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of country-specific hospital antibiotic management programs and program components. This paper summarizes the results for Germany.

Methods: The survey was conducted in April and May 2007. A questionnaire with various items related to hospital antibiotic management including control of consumption and availability of diagnostic microbiology was sent to hospital pharmacists through the ADKA (Bundesverband Deutscher Krankenhausapotheker). The questionnaires were analyzed by calculating mean scores for the various items and topics.

Main Findings: Of 400 questionnaires sent, 48 were returned and evaluable. Most respondents represented general hospitals in the southern part of Germany. Items that scored high were related to frequency of evaluation of antibiotic resistance data (4.48), availability of (simple) management tools for antibiotic prescribing (4.05), and control of antibiotic consumption (4.02). Items related to the availability of trained and dedicated antibiotic management officers scored very low.

Conclusions: Shortage of trained and dedicated personnel may limit the organization of effective antibiotic management in many German hospitals.