Inappropriate use of antibiotics in croup at three types of hospital

Abstract

Despite recent suggestions that bacterial infection is an increasingly important cause of serious croup, most authorities still consider croup a viral disease in which antibiotic therapy is unnecessary. To assess the frequency of antibiotic use in croup among children in hospital, we reviewed the records at three types of hospital in Ontario. Children with evidence of a concurrent infection that might be bacterial were considered to have received antibiotics appropriately. Whereas only 6% of cases at a university-affiliated children's hospital were inappropriately treated with antibiotics, the proportions at a small rural community hospital staffed by general practitioners and a general hospital staffed by both pediatricians and general practitioners in a medium-sized city were 63% and 38%. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.