Trends in antibiotic use in long-term care hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide cohort study during 2020 and 2023.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Information regarding the use of antibiotics in long-term care hospitals (LCHs) during COVID-19 remains limited. The aim of the study was to examine the antibiotics use in Korean LCHs during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide cohort study between 2020 and 2023. During this period, a total of 1,835,398 patients were admitted to 1,829 LCHs.

Results

1,043,346 (56.9%) received antibiotics. The overall antibiotic use in LCHs was 133.33 days of therapy (DOT) per patient-days (PDs), which was lower than that observed in tertiary (933.89), secondary (798.26), and primary care hospitals (566.77). In contrast, the intensity of antibiotic use among treated patients was highest in LCHs (40.01 DOT), exceeding that in tertiary (15.22), seconda

SUBMITTER: Kim YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12632000 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature