| Summary: | <p><strong>Background</strong>: the cephalosporins have become a very valuable therapeutic resource in the management of serious infections, whether community-acquired or nosocomial. The decision for its use and the selection of the specific type of cephalosporin must be based on a strict scientific criterion.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Objective</strong>: to characterize the use of the cephalosporins at the department of internal medicine of the "Amalia Simoni" Clinico-surgical Teaching Hospital of Camagüey, from July 2016 to January 2018.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: an observational study was conducted on the use of the cephalosporins at the institution and time declared in the objective. The study population consisted of the 300 patients who were treated with cephalosporins. The studied variables were: age groups, type of infection, justification for use, microbiological study, type of cephalosporin, dosage, time of use and combination with other antibiotics. Descriptive statistics was used in the analysis of the data.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results</strong>: there was a greater representation of middle-aged women; in the male sex the senior citizens predominated. In most cases there was no justification for the use with a scientific basis, no microbiological studies were carried out, and no adverse reactions were reported. The dosage of the cephalosporins was adequate with a favorable response to treatment. The third-generation cephalosporins were the most prescribed ones, ordered as monotherapy in more than two thirds of the patients.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: there were bad practices in the use of the cephalosporins, which were not reflected in an unfavorable response to treatment.<strong></strong></p>
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