Background:

Non-judicious antimicrobial prescriptions are one of the main causes associated with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. As such, clinical audits as tools for quality improvement within an institution are essential in local antimicrobial resistance prevention and control programs.

Methods:

During the year 2019, in the group of primary healthcare facilities of Amadora we performed a clinical audit of antimicrobial prescriptions according to two guidelines by the General-Directorate of Health focusing on community-acquired pneumonia. All prescriptions done during 2018 that could be framed within the two previous guidelines were verified. The parameters audited were: the choice of antimicrobial, duration of therapy, and, in cases when the prescription did not follow the guidelines, whether that choice was justified in the electronic record of the patient.

Results:

Overall, from 292 clinical records from 2018 which were audited, 42.0% were according to the guidelines. The percentage of antimicrobial prescriptions according to the guidelines varied in the different healthcare units from 0.0 to 63.4%.

Conclusion:

This audit using historical clinical records, allowed us to create a methodology for future internal audits within our institution. It also allowed us to readjust the training strategy within our group of primary healthcare facilities. There has not been an evaluation of the effectiveness of this audit.

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