OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of special action measures on raising the etiological submission rate before antibiotic treatment so as to provide guidance for following actions.

METHODS From the first quaner of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, the data were collected from "National Hospital Infection Management Professional Quality Control Center Sentinel Hospital Information Reporting System" to which the sentinel hospital reported, including the etiological submission rates before antibiotic treatment, related baseline surveys and results of surveys during the improvement.

RESULTS Among 554 hospitals, the etiological submission rate before antibiotic treatment, etiological submission rate for diagnosis of infection and etiological submission rate before combined use of key drugs generally showed upward trends(P < 0.05). As compared with the hospitals of different types, grades and in different areas, the etiological submission rate before the antibiotic treatment was higher in the specialized hospitals than in the general hospitals, higher in the tertiary hospitals than in the secondary hospitals, higher in the hospitals in easter area than in the hospitals in the western areas, higher in the hospitals in western area than in the hospitals in middle area (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the increase of etiological submission rate between the newly added infection control professionals and the newly added microbiological laboratorians. The etiological submission rate before antibiotic treatment was higher in the hospitals that carried out other improvement programs than in the hospitals that did not(P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS The etiological submission rate before antibiotic treatment generally show upward trends among the hospitalized patients in the 554 sentinel hospitals. It is necessary for the hospitals to formulate the target value of submission rate based on the condition of the hospital its own and take comprehensive intervention measures so as to continuously raise the etiological submission rate before the antibiotic treatment.