Table 2.

Annual consumption of several representative antimicrobial agents at National Taiwan University Hospital, 1991–2003

Antimicrobial agent	Antibiotic consumption (DDD/1000 patient-days) by year													Correlation
	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	r	P
Ceftazidime	7.94	9.13	13.24	15.83	23.03	25.25	24.50	19.04	18.65	15.55	14.35	14.74	13.81	0.206	0.250
Piperacillin/tazobactam	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4.88	6.57	10.17	16.22	0.968	0.016*
Ticarcillin/clavulanic acid	–	–	–	2.21	0.86	2.46	3.38	6.48	5.32	7.95	8.31	5.20	3.33	0.601	0.033
Cefepime	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0.92	7.75	14.72	22.88	35.17	39.37	0.994	0.028*
Imipenem	5.75	11.305	11.51	14.125	16.81	13.21	9.24	12.09	11.58	14.95	14.9	12.00	19.11	0.560	0.046
Meropenem	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0.10	3.40	5.66	10.10	11.28	10.39	0.943	0.005*
Imipenem + meropenem	5.75	11.31	11.51	14.13	16.81	13.21	9.24	12.19	14.98	20.61	25	23.275	29.50	0.851	<0.001*
Ciprofloxacin	0.32	5.18	7.32	10.80	14.12	25.84	13.86	15.38	20.04	22.86	24.26	26.78	34.36	0.916	<0.001*
Gentamicin	13.71	10.46	10.00	15.00	24.25	30.96	52.79	58.33	71.25	48.83	45.75	42.21	35.00	0.702	0.004
Amikacin	12.7	13.62	13.2	13.71	12.64	13.53	6.76	6.82	5.78	5.84	5.63	6.63	6.19	−0.867	<0.001*
Sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim	305.43	325.47	229.51	296.22	284.14	166.11	274.32	293.74	264.62	219.2	208.77	131.11	135.53	−0.727	0.002*

DDD, defined daily dose.

^*Statistically significant association (r > 0.72, P < 0.05).