Juhee Park
Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, South Korea
Title: Systemic antibiotic consumption in a population of South Korea between 2009 and 2013
Biography
Biography: Juhee Park
Abstract
Systemic antibiotic consumption in a population of South Korea between 2009 and 2013: This study was conducted to investigate overall systemic antibiotic consumption levels and specific patterns using standardized Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology. The administrative data from South Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment (HIRA) were used to examine trends in antibiotic consumption. Antibiotic usage data were collected for systemic antibacterial (ATC category J01). Total consumption was slightly increased from 25.8DID (the number of DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day) to 26.7DID from 2009 to 2013 slightly. These values are higher than the average (21.2DID) of OECD 2012. Consumption figures under 10 years of age (44.8DID and 51.5DID in 2009 and 2013, respectively) were even higher than figures in aged 60-69 (34.0DID and 33.4DID in 2009 and 2013, respectively), especially the measure of average in aged 2-5 was very high (65DID). The most frequently prescribed antibiotic was combinations of penicillins (J01CR, 24.32%, in 2013), followed by second-generation cephalosporins (J01DC, 18.24%) and macrolides (J01FA, 13.82%). 49.4%(6.6DID) among the outpatients of acute upper respiratory infections and 54.6%(5.8DID) among the outpatients of other acute upper respiratory infections were prescribed antibiotics. Overall antibiotic prescription usage have increased slightly. However, use of cephalosporins is gradually increasing, except first-generation cephalosporins and the amount of antibiotics in children is still a high level, which can affect to antibiotic resistance. Efforts to increase prudent antibiotic use, especially for upper respiratory system infections and for younger children, should be made to decrease antibiotic use