Table 1.
Study outcome variables.
| Classification | Indicators | Measurement | Units of measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inpatient | antibiotic use rate of inpatients (AURI) | the number of discharged patients who used antibiotics/the total number of discharged patients | Percentage |
| antibiotic use density (AUD) | the usage of all kind of antibiotics calculated by defined daily dose (DDD)a ×100/(number of patients × length of stay per patient) | DDDs/100PD | |
| AE/ME | antibiotic expenditure (AE)/total medication expenditure(ME) | Percentage | |
| AE per patient | total antibiotic expenditure/the number of discharged patients | RMBb | |
| Outpatient patient | antibiotic use rate of outpatients (AURO) | the number of outpatients who used antibiotics/the total number of outpatients | Percentage |
| ACO/PCO | antibiotic cost of outpatients (ACO)/prescription cost of outpatients (PCO) | Percentage | |
| ACO per patient | antibiotic cost of outpatients (ACO)/the total number of outpatients | RMB | |
| Emergency patient | antibiotic use rate of emergency patients (AURE) | the number of emergency patients who used antibiotics/the total number of emergency patients | Percentage |
| ACE/PCE | antibiotic cost of emergency patients (ACE)/prescription cost of emergency patients (PCE) | Percentage | |
| ACE per patient | antibiotic cost of emergency patients (ACE)/the total number of emergency patients | RMB |
a
DDD is stated by the WHO.
b
RMB is the abbreviation of renminbi, a Chinese currency.