Antibiotic purchasing by Canadian hospitals, 2007-2011.

OBJECTIVE

To describe patterns of antibiotic purchasing by Canadian hospitals from five regions in Canada between 2007 and 2011.

METHODS

The Canadian Drugstore and Hospital Purchases Audit (CDH) dataset measures the dollar value and unit volume of pharmaceutical products from over 700 hospitals and is extrapolated to represent purchases by more than 800 hospitals in Canada. General population information was used for developing the rates of purchasing with a primary focus on unit volume.

RESULTS

In 2011, there was a 7% increase in total antibiotics purchased by Canadian hospitals compared to 2010, with slight increases in the purchasing levels for oral (8% increase) and parenteral (3% increase) antibiotics. Antibiotics considered of very high importance to human medicine (Category I) continued to represent a high proportion of the total antibiotics used in hospitals in 2011. Overall, consumption of antibiotics was highest in Manitoba at 2.61 doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID), while Ontario had the lowest levels of consumption (1.26 DID). New Brunswick had the highest proportion of Category I consumption (43%, 0.62/1.43 DID) for 2011, driven by higher levels of fluoroquinolones consumed in that province.

CONCLUSION

Canadian hospitals have purchased an increasing number of antibiotics and are consuming slightly more oral and parenteral antibiotics. Overall, consumption was highest in Manitoba and total cost was highest in British Columbia. Ontario had the lowest level of consumption of anitbiotics and the lowest overall cost.