commonly used in outpatient clinical practice in patients over 2 years. The aim of the study was to gain the

data of azithromycin preparations usage, focusing on the causes resulting in final therapeutic decisions.

Material and method: Project had been realized as a retrospective survey based on documented cases

of azithromycin therapies realized in outpatient setting. The demographic and anamnestic data were collected, as: diagnosis made, therapeutic schedule, causes of such decisions, eventually recommended control visit and patient’s therapeutic adherence. Data obtained were statistically analysed with Statistica 9.0 PL software. Results: The 27 850 cases of azithromycin usage in patients over 2 years were analysed. The main indications for azithromycin therapy were the respiratory tract infections, probability of bacterial aetiology. The decisions were made mostly upon clinical examination. In about 20% of cases azithromycin was used as a second one antibiotic. One third of cases were not recommended the control visit, but from the rest only about 70% were realized. Almost 96% of patients did not realized the treatment according to recommended schedule despite the mostly well treatment tolerance. Conclusions: 1) In outpatient clinical practice azithromycin is used mainly as an antibiotic of first choice, mostly in respiratory tract infections, despite epidemiological data suggesting their mainly viral aetiology. 2) The common practice is an empirical azithromycin recommendation, judged as a highly effective therapy. 3) Except of good tolerance and familiar treatment schedule, almost all of patients did not realized the treatment completely. 4) The knowledge of rational antibiotics usage should be widely propagated in Polish community.