A hospital antibiotic policy resulting from a simple quality assurance activity.

The use of antibiotics on a medical ward was monitored for 4 weeks. Medication charts were perused to identify all antibiotics prescribed and the notes were searched for microbiological evidence of pathogenic organisms. Presentation of the results at a clinical meeting led to the establishment of a hospital-wide antibiotic policy, where none had previously existed. The survey was repeated 1 year after the policy was instituted.