Oral fluoroquinolone use in the community.

The use of oral fluoroquinolone in the community was evaluated in the Jezreel Valley area in northern Israel over an 8-month period. A total of 1,136 prescriptions for oral quinolones were prescribed for a population of 300,000 people. The findings of the study show that 70% of the prescriptions were initiated by outpatient clinic specialists or at hospital discharge, and that 70% of all prescriptions were justified and properly prescribed. No significant difference was found whether the initiating physician was a specialist or family practitioner or when the drug was recommended on hospital discharge. Moreover, the manner in which the different antibiotics were internally divided indicated the prescribing physicians' understanding of the properties of each drug. The results demonstrate that oral fluoroquinolones have been used in the Jezreel Valley area sparingly, judiciously, and according to each drug's properties. The high degree of justified use may reflect successful antibiotic control within the medical center serving that area.