ANTIBIOTICS UTILIZATION DURING THE WAR PERIOD - INFLUENCE OF DRUG DONATIONS

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antibiotics ut ilization in the University Hospital Center of Rijeka (UHC), with capa city of 1566 beds, during the period of 4 years (1990-1994). The data concerning the antibiotics utilization were collected from a hospital pharmacy record and calculated as the defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 bed days. Total antibiotics use decreased continually from 1990 throu gh 1994. According to our study, metronidazole became the most frequen tly prescribed antibiotic. Comparing the 1994 to the 1990 antibiotics utilization, we may notice an outstanding decrease in cotimoxazole, am picillin and cefalexin utilization and an increase in amoxicillin + cl avulanic acid, gentamycin and cefuroxime (there are no tetracyclines a mong the 10 most frequently prescribed antibiotics). The changes notic ed in the use of antibiotics are partly caused by changes in therapeut ic principles, but we consider drug donations as the most important fa ctor. Drug donations have retained the treatment quality of our patien ts in very difficult conditions in Croatia during the war period.