OBJECTIVE: To describe oral antibiotic prescription in the community. DESIGN: Audit of anti-infective prescribing in office-based medical practice. SETTING: Center of France, in the Loiret, a 600,000 inhabitant administrative division. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical hypothesis and antimicrobial drugs used as well as daily doses and durations of treatment. RESULTS: Respiratory tract infections with a presumed viral etiology accounted for 36% of prescriptions. In children, a high percentage of antibiotic prescriptions were underdosed as compared to clinical recommendations, particularly in acute otitis media. The variability of the daily dose was high, with coefficients of variation over 40% in acute otitis media or acute tracheobronchitis. Whatever the clinical hypothesis, the duration of treatment was close to 8 days. In acute otitis media, the coefficient of variation was 14%, the lowest for all diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Our investigation identified two main areas for improving antimicrobial drug prescribing: (1) reduction of useless prescriptions in respiratory tract infections with a presumed viral etiology, and (2) increasing the prescribed daily dose of antimicrobials to the recommended levels.
OBJECTIVE: To describe oral antibiotic prescription in the community. DESIGN: Audit of anti-infective prescribing in office-based medical practice. SETTING: Center of France, in the Loiret, a 600,000 inhabitant administrative division. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical hypothesis and antimicrobial drugs used as well as daily doses and durations of treatment. RESULTS:Respiratory tract infections with a presumed viral etiology accounted for 36% of prescriptions. In children, a high percentage of antibiotic prescriptions were underdosed as compared to clinical recommendations, particularly in acute otitis media. The variability of the daily dose was high, with coefficients of variation over 40% in acute otitis media or acute tracheobronchitis. Whatever the clinical hypothesis, the duration of treatment was close to 8 days. In acute otitis media, the coefficient of variation was 14%, the lowest for all diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Our investigation identified two main areas for improving antimicrobial drug prescribing: (1) reduction of useless prescriptions in respiratory tract infections with a presumed viral etiology, and (2) increasing the prescribed daily dose of antimicrobials to the recommended levels.
Authors: Suzie Ekins-Daukes; James S McLay; Michael W Taylor; Colin R Simpson; Peter J Helms Journal: Br J Clin Pharmacol Date: 2003-07 Impact factor: 4.335
Authors: James M Hutchinson; David M Patrick; Fawziah Marra; Helen Ng; William R Bowie; Laurie Heule; Mark Muscat; Dominique L Monnet Journal: Can J Infect Dis Date: 2004-01
Authors: Elisabeth Autret-Leca; Bruno Giraudeau; Marie Joseph Ployet; Annie-Pierre Jonville-Béra Journal: Br J Clin Pharmacol Date: 2002-12 Impact factor: 4.335