[Evaluation of the use of antibiotics in the hospital pediatric milieu].

Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics is a world-wide serious problem because it contributes to the development and the spreading of antibiotic resistance. The authors carried out a study for one year by 1998, in order to evaluate antibiotic prescriptions in three childhood diseases: respiratory, digestive and neurological diseases. Patients hospitalized at the unit paediatric of the General hospital of Befelatanana are 0 month to 15 years old. Three antibiotic families were frequently used: cotrimoxazole, penicillins derivatives and aminoglycosides. Results of this study noted that antibiotic precriptions were irrational. Some factors may give explanations to these facts: the insufficiency of biological labs, but also expensive costs of exams. It is desirable that all paediatricians can gather in order to draw up clinical protocols and to assess them by a multicentric survey. Further results may be used as reference for empirical or probabilist antibiotic prescriptions of which efficacy will be checked by an experienced lab.