OBJECTIVES: To describe the experience carried out with the implementation and the Impact of the Rational Antibiotic Use System on Hospital Performance, at Cartagena, Colombia from 2018 to 2021, and the progressive decrease in the consumption of control antibiotics monitored by the National Institute of Health (INS). Compared to national and departmental averages.

METHODS: retrospective and descriptive study was carried out. The antimicrobial application records generated from the institutional electronic medical record (Software Dinamica Gerencial) and the Control Antibiotic Consumption reports published by the INS in the periods between 2018 and 2021 were used. The methodology for measuring antibiotic consumption is carried out as proposed by the WHO, which uses the Defined Daily Dose (DDD). This was calculated with the number of DDDs between 100 days of stay

RESULTS: In the group of carbapenems, the reduction in the consumption of the antibiotic Meropenem between the periods 2018 and 2021 in the Adult General Hospitalization and Adult Critical Care Unit services is notable, with a reduction of 35% and 57%, respectively. Likewise, there is a significant decrease in the consumption of Ceftriaxone of 95% for the Adult General Hospitalization service and 32% for the Adult Critical Care Unit, and beta-lactams such as Piperacillin, with a 5% reduction in Adult General Hospitalization. and 62% Adult Critical Care Unit.

CONCLUSIONS: With the implementation of this program and the optimization strategies executed, the impact on the reduction of the consumption indicators of the Defined Daily Dose in the control antibiotics monitored by INS is shown, which place us below the departmental consumption averages. and nationals. This strategy must be replicated in all health institutions as a clinical practice that improves the quality of health care.