For the study, researchers used an administrative inpatient database to analyze antibiotic use among 5,657,523 women admitted to the hospital to deliver a baby between January 2006 and March 2015. About 34 percent of women had a C-section and 66 percent had a vaginal delivery.
Here are four study findings to know:
1. In total, 57 percent of women received antibiotics during their hospital stay.
2. Forty-one percent of women who underwent a vaginal delivery received antibiotics compared to 89 percent of women who had a C-section.
3. Cephalosporins were most often administered, followed by penicillin and macrolides.
4. Antibiotic use during C-sections jumped from 87.3 percent in 2006 to 89.5 percent in 2015. In contrast, antibiotic use during vaginal deliveries dropped from 47.7 percent to 34 percent over the same time period.
“These findings support clinical uptake of evidence-based recommendations,” the researchers concluded.
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