Gentamicin use rose in Norwegian hospitals before the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers analysed data from 35 national point-prevalence surveys conducted in 68 Norwegian hospitals between 2015 and 2023. The surveys included 241,546 hospitalised patients aged 20 years or older; 66,586 received antibiotics. The study described overall antibiotic use, gentamicin use and its indications, and assessed changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The yearly prevalence of antibiotic use ranged from 26.9% to 28.1%. Aminoglycosides, mainly gentamicin, ranked ninth among antibiotic prescriptions. Gentamicin use rose from 4.1% in 2015 to 5.8% in 2023, most often in combinations with ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, or ampicillin plus metronidazole. Common indications included urinary and lower respiratory tract infections, intra-abdominal infections and sepsis. A rising trend before the pandemic (β=0.105; p<0.001) was no longer observed after its onset (β=−0.112; p=0.013).

This observational analysis describes prescribing patterns, not treatment effectiveness or patient outcomes. Its findings support continued surveillance and antibiotic stewardship, but do not establish why gentamicin trends changed or whether individual prescriptions were appropriate. The authors report that use remained low but appeared higher than in other European countries.