Antibiotic usage in neonates – Guidelines and current practices

Antibiotics are one of the most abused drugs in the neonatal unit. While appropriate usage is definitely helpful, indiscriminate use of antibiotics could lead to emergence of multidrug resistance in previously susceptible isolates. Adopting and implementing a rational antibiotic policy would help alleviate this problem to a significant extent. In this article, we discuss the strategy for formulating a rational antibiotic policy for any neonatal unit. In addition, we also review the current antibiotic protocol being followed in major neonatal units of the country.