[Clinical evaluation after an introduction of our manual for antibiotic use during perioperative period and a notification policy of use of the antibiotics for MRSA].

Abuse of antibiotics results in unfavorable consequences in healthcare associated infection control, such as emergence of multiple-resistant bacteria, and increased medical cost and nosocomial infection. In 2003, we had an outbreak of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a surgical ward of Akita University Hospital. With the aim of preventing inappropriate use of antibiotics during perioperative period, a guideline for usage of antibiotics, which is made by surgeons themselves, was introduced, and a notification policy of the antibiotic use for MRSA was also applied in 2004. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the antibiotic restriction on changes in antibiotics consumption, prevalence of multiple-drug-resistant pathogens, and their susceptibility to antibiotics. The notification policy reduced the cost and amount of antibiotics and the prevalence of multiple-drug-resistant pathogens, such as MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The susceptibility of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Serratia marcescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to antibiotics showed a remarkable improvement. The introduction of notification policy for usage of antibiotics has a favorable influence on the infection control in hospitals and re education of doctors.