Background:

antimicrobials are part of the drugs family that are most prescribed in the world. Their high levels of availability and consumption have led to a disproportionate increase and inappropriate use of these drugs.

Objective:

to evaluate the prescription of antimicrobials in children hospitalized in four clinical services of the Paquito González Cueto Pediatric University Hospital in Cienfuegos.

Methods:

descriptive, correlational cross-sectional study on the prescription of antimicrobials to pediatric patients. The following variables were analyzed: indicated antimicrobial, dose, subdose, treatment time and diagnosis at discharge. Results: 504 patients were studied, who received 641 prescriptions, for a ratio of 1.27 prescriptions per patient. It was incorrectly prescribed in 32.3% (n = 207) and there was no indication for antimicrobial treatment in 109 (17%). The most frequent error occurred in the calculation of the dose to be administered and the treatment time in both study categories. Inappropriate antimicrobial use was higher for penicillins (27%), cephalosporins (36%), and quinolones (77%). Infectious diseases 78 (32.6%) and digestive diseases (62.5%) showed a greater prescription error

Conclusions:

inadequate practices in the prescription of antimicrobials were identified in the clinical services studied.

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