Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Antibiotic Prescribing for Common Infections in The Netherlands: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought dramatic changes in the delivery of primary health care across the world, presumably changing the number of consultations for infectious diseases and antibiotic use. We aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on infections and antibiotic prescribing in Dutch primary care. All patients included in the routine health care database of the Julius General Practitioners’ Network were followed from March through May 2019 (n = 389,708) and March through May 2020 (n = 405,688). We extracted data on consultations for respiratory/ear, urinary tract, gastrointestinal and skin infections using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) codes. These consultations were combined in disease episodes and linked to antibiotic prescriptions. The numbers of infectious disease episodes (total and those treated with antibiotics), complications, and antibiotic prescription rates (i.e., proportion of episodes treated with antibiotics) were calculated and compared between the study periods in 2019 and 2020. Fewer episodes were observed during the pandemic months than in the same months in 2019 for both the four infectious disease entities and complications such as pneumonia, mastoiditis and pyelonephritis. The largest decline was seen for gastrointestinal infections (relative risk (RR), 0.54; confidence interval (CI), 0.51 to 0.58) and skin infections (RR, 0.71; CI, 0.67 to 0.75). The number of episodes treated with antibiotics declined as well, with the largest decrease seen for respiratory/ear infections (RR, 0.54; CI, 0.52 to 0.58). The antibiotic prescription rate for respiratory/ear infections declined from 21% to 13% (difference −8.0% (CI, −8.8 to −7.2)), yet the prescription rates for other infectious disease entities remained similar or increased slightly. The decreases in primary care infectious disease episodes and antibiotic use were most pronounced in weeks 15–19, mid-COVID-19 wave, after an initial peak in respiratory/ear infection presentation in week 11, the first week of lock-down. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on the presentation of infectious disease episodes and antibiotic use in primary care in the Netherlands. Consequently, the number of infectious disease episodes treated with antibiotics decreased. We found no evidence of an increase in complications.

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Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10121521 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1521

Author(s):

Josi A. Boeijen ◽

Alike W. van der Velden ◽

Saskia Hullegie ◽

Tamara N. Platteel ◽

Dorien L. M. Zwart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Primary Care ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Observational Cohort Study ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Prescription Rates ◽

Observational Cohort ◽

Ear Infections ◽

Common Infections

Presentation and antibiotic prescribing for common infectious disease episodes decreased substantially during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Dutch general practice. We set out to determine the course of these variables during the first pandemic year. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using routine health care data from the Julius General Practitioners’ Network. All patients registered in the pre-pandemic year (n = 425,129) and/or during the first pandemic year (n = 432,122) were included. Relative risks for the number of infectious disease episodes (respiratory tract/ear, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and skin), in total and those treated with antibiotics, and proportions of episodes treated with antibiotics (prescription rates) were calculated. Compared to the pre-pandemic year, primary care presentation for common infections remained lower during the full first pandemic year (RR, 0.77; CI, 0.76–0.78), mainly attributed to a sustained decline in respiratory tract/ear and gastrointestinal infection episodes. Presentation for urinary tract and skin infection episodes declined during the first wave, but returned to pre-pandemic levels during the second and start of the third wave. Antibiotic prescription rates were lower during the full first pandemic year (24%) as compared to the pre-pandemic year (28%), mainly attributed to a 10% lower prescription rate for respiratory tract/ear infections; the latter was not accompanied by an increase in complications. The decline in primary care presentation for common infections during the full first COVID-19 pandemic year, together with lower prescription rates for respiratory tract/ear infections, resulted in a substantial reduction in antibiotic prescribing in Dutch primary care.

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1345. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Ambulatory Antibiotic Use in an Academic Health System

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.1527 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S683-S684

Author(s):

Sophie E Katz ◽

Hillary Spencer ◽

Jim Zhang ◽

Ritu Banerjee ◽

Ritu Banerjee

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Medical Center ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Provider Type ◽

Prescription Rates ◽

Student’S T ◽

Almost All

Abstract Background It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted outpatient pediatric antibiotic prescribing. Methods We compared diagnoses and antibiotic prescription rates for children pre- vs post-COVID-19 in 5 ambulatory settings affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center: emergency department (ED), urgent care clinics (including pediatric-only after-hours clinics [AHC]s and walk-in clinics [WIC] for all ages), primary care clinics (PCC), and retail health clinics (RHC). Time periods were pre-COVID-19 3/1/19 – 5/15/19 (P1); and post-COVID-19 3/1/20 – 5/15/20 (P2). Diagnoses and percent of encounters with an antibiotic prescription were analyzed by encounter (in-person vs telemedicine [TMed]), clinic and provider type. We also interviewed 16 providers about perceived COVID-19 impact on pediatric ambulatory antibiotic prescribing. Student’s T and χ 2 tests were used as appropriate. Results The number of pediatric ambulatory visits was 16671 in P1 and 7010 in P2. There were no TMed visits in P1 vs 188 in P2 (2.7% of total P2 visits); 186 (99% of TMed visits) were in PCC (Table). In all settings, the number of encounters was lower in P2 vs P1 (p< 0.001). The percent of encounters with an antibiotic prescription was lower in P2 (32%) than in P1 (38.2%) (p< 0.001) (Table) overall and in all settings except RHCs. Only 14 (7.4%) TMed visits resulted in an antibiotic prescription. There were no differences in antibiotic prescribing rates by provider type. Diagnoses varied significantly between periods in all clinic types except the ED, with noninfectious diagnoses being higher in P2 vs P1 (Figure 1). Providers felt that COVID-19 led to fewer but sicker patients presenting for care, and variable impact on antibiotic prescribing (Figure 2). Table. Percent of Encounters with an Antibiotic by Clinic Type, Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Figure 1. Diagnosis Rates by Clinic Type, Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Figure 2. Themes from Provider Interviews about perceived Impact of COVID-19 on Clinician Practice Conclusion The proportion of encounters with non-infectious diagnoses increased and antibiotic prescribing rates decreased significantly in all pediatric ambulatory settings post-COVID-19 except RHCs. Almost all TMed encounters occurred in the primary care setting, and few resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Providers felt they saw fewer patients and higher acuity of illness post COVID-19. Disclosures Hillary Spencer, MD, MPH, NIH (T32 grant support) (Grant/Research Support)

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Optimizing Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Tract Infection in German Primary Care: Study Protocol for Evaluation of the RESIST Program (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18648 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christin Löffler ◽

Antje Krüger ◽

Anne Daubmann ◽

Julia Iwen ◽

Marc Biedermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Tract Infection ◽

Statutory Health Insurance ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Acute Respiratory Tract Infection ◽

Control Group ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Prescription Rate ◽

Before And After

BACKGROUND The emergence and increased spread of microbial resistance is a major challenge to all health care systems worldwide. In primary care, acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) is the health condition most strongly related to antibiotic overuse. OBJECTIVE The RESIST program aims at optimizing antibiotic prescribing for ARTI in German primary care. By completing a problem-orientated online training course, physicians are motivated and empowered to utilize patient-centered doctor-patient communication strategies, including shared decision making, in the treatment of patients with ARTI. METHODS RESIST will be evaluated in the form of a nonrandomized controlled trial. Approximately 3000 physicians of 8 (out of 16) German federal states can participate in the program. Patient and physician data are retrieved from routine health care data. Physicians not participating in the program serve as controls, either among the 8 participating regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (control group 1) or among the remaining associations not participating in RESIST (control group 2). Antibiotic prescription rates before the intervention (T0: 2016, 1st and 2nd quarters of 2017) and after the intervention (T1: 3rd quarter of 2017 until 1st quarter of 2019) will be compared. The primary outcome measure is the overall antibiotic prescription rate for all patients insured with German statutory health insurance before and after provision of the online course. The secondary outcome is the antibiotic prescription rate for coded ARTI before and after the intervention. RESULTS RESIST is publicly funded by the Innovations funds of the Federal Joint Committee in Germany and was approved in December 2016. Recruitment of physicians is now completed, and a total of 2460 physicians participated in the intervention. Data analysis started in February 2020. CONCLUSIONS With approximately 3000 physicians participating in the program, RESIST is among the largest real-world interventions aiming at reducing inadequate antibiotic prescribing for ARTI in primary care. Long-term follow up of up to 21 months will allow for investigating the sustainability of the intervention. CLINICALTRIAL ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN13934505; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13934505 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/18648

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Perceptions, Current Practices and Interventions of Community Pharmacists Regarding Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Qualitative Study in France

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1033731/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Claire Durand ◽

Aude Chappuis ◽

Eric Douriez ◽

Frédérique Poulain ◽

Raheelah Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Community Health ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Community Health Care

Abstract Background: Community health care accounts for the vast majority of antibiotic use in Europe. Given the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions in primary care that could involve different health care providers including community pharmacists. This study aimed to explore the perceptions, currents practices and interventions of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship.Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with community pharmacists in France. Participants were recruited through a professional organization of community pharmacists combined with a snowballing technique. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used while developing the interview guide and carrying out thematic analysis.Results: Sixteen community pharmacists participated. All the respondents had good awareness about antimicrobial resistance and believed community pharmacists had an important role in tackling AMR. Some barriers to community pharmacists’ participation in AMS were identified such as difficult interactions with prescribers, lack of time and lack of access to patient medical records and diagnosis. Increased patient education, audits and feedback of antibiotic prescribing, increased point-of-care testing and delayed prescribing were interventions suggested by the pharmacists to improve antibiotic use in primary care. Strategies cited by participants to facilitate the implementation of such interventions are increased pharmacist-general practitioner collaboration, specialized training, clinical decision support tools as well as financial incentives. Conclusions: This study suggests that community pharmacists could play a greater role in infection management and AMS interventions. Further interprofessional collaboration is needed to optimize antibiotic prescribing and utilization in community health care.

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Changing antibiotic prescribing practices in outpatient primary care settings in China: Study protocol for a health information system-based cluster-randomised crossover controlled trial

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0259065 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. e0259065

Author(s):

Yue Chang ◽

Yuanfan Yao ◽

Zhezhe Cui ◽

Guanghong Yang ◽

Duan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Prescription Rate ◽

Feedback Intervention ◽

Primary Care Settings ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Prescription Rates

Background The overuse and abuse of antibiotics is a major risk factor for antibiotic resistance in primary care settings of China. In this study, the effectiveness of an automatically-presented, privacy-protecting, computer information technology (IT)-based antibiotic feedback intervention will be evaluated to determine whether it can reduce antibiotic prescribing rates and unreasonable prescribing behaviours. Methods We will pilot and develop a cluster-randomised, open controlled, crossover, superiority trial. A total of 320 outpatient physicians in 6 counties of Guizhou province who met the standard will be randomly divided into intervention group and control group with a primary care hospital being the unit of cluster allocation. In the intervention group, the three components of the feedback intervention included: 1. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based real-time warnings of improper antibiotic use; 2. Pop-up windows of antibiotic prescription rate ranking; 3. Distribution of educational manuals. In the control group, no form of intervention will be provided. The trial will last for 6 months and will be divided into two phases of three months each. The two groups will crossover after 3 months. The primary outcome is the 10-day antibiotic prescription rate of physicians. The secondary outcome is the rational use of antibiotic prescriptions. The acceptability and feasibility of this feedback intervention study will be evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative assessment methods. Discussion This study will overcome limitations of our previous study, which only focused on reducing antibiotic prescription rates. AI techniques and an educational intervention will be used in this study to effectively reduce antibiotic prescription rates and antibiotic irregularities. This study will also provide new ideas and approaches for further research in this area. Trial registration ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN13817256. Registered on 11 January 2020.

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Community antibiotic prescribing for children in France from 2015 to 2017: a cross-sectional national study

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy ◽

10.1093/jac/dkaa162 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nhung T H Trinh ◽

Robert Cohen ◽

Magali Lemaitre ◽

Pierre Chahwakilian ◽

Gregory Coulthard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Broad Spectrum ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

National Study ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Broad Spectrum Antibiotic ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prescription Rates ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract Objectives To assess recent community antibiotic prescribing for French children and identify areas of potential improvement. Methods We analysed 221 768 paediatric (<15 years) visits in a national sample of 680 French GPs and 70 community paediatricians (IQVIA’s EPPM database), from March 2015 to February 2017, excluding well-child visits. We calculated antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits, separately for GPs and paediatricians. For respiratory tract infections (RTIs), we described broad-spectrum antibiotic use and duration of treatment. We used Poisson regression to identify factors associated with antibiotic prescribing. Results GPs prescribed more antibiotics than paediatricians [prescription rate 26.1 (95% CI 25.9–26.3) versus 21.6 (95% CI 21.0–22.2) per 100 visits, respectively; P < 0.0001]. RTIs accounted for more than 80% of antibiotic prescriptions, with presumed viral RTIs being responsible for 40.8% and 23.6% of all antibiotic prescriptions by GPs and paediatricians, respectively. For RTIs, antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits were: otitis, 68.1 and 79.8; pharyngitis, 67.3 and 53.3; sinusitis, 67.9 and 77.3; pneumonia, 80.0 and 99.2; bronchitis, 65.2 and 47.3; common cold, 21.7 and 11.6; bronchiolitis 31.6 and 20.1; and other presumed viral RTIs, 24.1 and 11.0, for GPs and paediatricians, respectively. For RTIs, GPs prescribed more broad-spectrum antibiotics [49.8% (95% CI 49.3–50.3) versus 35.6% (95% CI 34.1–37.1), P < 0.0001] and antibiotic courses of similar duration (P = 0.21). After adjustment for diagnosis, antibiotic prescription rates were not associated with season and patient age, but were significantly higher among GPs aged ≥50 years. Conclusions Future antibiotic stewardship campaigns should target presumed viral RTIs, broad-spectrum antibiotic use and GPs aged ≥50 years.

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Antibiotic Prescription Rates After eVisits Versus Office Visits in Primary Care: Observational Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25473 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Artin Entezarjou ◽

Susanna Calling ◽

Tapomita Bhattacharyya ◽

Veronica Milos Nymberg ◽

Lina Vigren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Sore Throat ◽

Respiratory Symptoms ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Private Health Care ◽

Office Visits ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Virtual Visits ◽

Prescription Rates

BACKGROUND Direct-to-consumer telemedicine is an increasingly used modality to access primary care. Previous research on assessment using synchronous virtual visits showed mixed results regarding antibiotic prescription rates, and research on assessment using asynchronous chat-based eVisits is lacking. OBJECTIVE The goal of the research was to investigate if eVisit management of sore throat, other respiratory symptoms, or dysuria leads to higher rates of antibiotic prescription compared with usual management using physical office visits. METHODS Data from 3847 eVisits and 759 office visits for sore throat, dysuria, or respiratory symptoms were acquired from a large private health care provider in Sweden. Data were analyzed to compare antibiotic prescription rates within 3 days, antibiotic type, and diagnoses made. For a subset of sore throat visits (n=160 eVisits, n=125 office visits), Centor criteria data were manually extracted and validated. RESULTS Antibiotic prescription rates were lower following eVisits compared with office visits for sore throat (169/798, 21.2%, vs 124/312, 39.7%; P<.001) and respiratory symptoms (27/1724, 1.6%, vs 50/251, 19.9%; P<.001), while no significant differences were noted comparing eVisits to office visits for dysuria (1016/1325, 76.7%, vs 143/196, 73.0%; P=.25). Guideline-recommended antibiotics were prescribed similarly following sore throat eVisits and office visits (163/169, 96.4%, vs 117/124, 94.4%; P=.39). eVisits for respiratory symptoms and dysuria were more often prescribed guideline-recommended antibiotics (26/27, 96.3%, vs 37/50, 74.0%; P=.02 and 1009/1016, 99.3%, vs 135/143, 94.4%; P<.001, respectively). Odds ratios of antibiotic prescription following office visits compared with eVisits after adjusting for age and differences in set diagnoses were 2.94 (95% CI 1.99-4.33), 11.57 (95% CI 5.50-24.32), 1.01 (95% CI 0.66-1.53), for sore throat, respiratory symptoms, and dysuria, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The use of asynchronous eVisits for the management of sore throat, dysuria, and respiratory symptoms is not associated with an inherent overprescription of antibiotics compared with office visits. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03474887; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03474887

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Antibiotic prescription in primary care from the perspective of family physicians: a qualitative study

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.13924 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (08) ◽

pp. 1117-1123

Author(s):

Salih Hosoglu ◽

Annika Yanina Classen ◽

Zekeriya Akturk

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Social Status ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Family Physicians ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Patient Expectations ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

The Social

Introduction: Antibiotic consumption increases worldwide steadily. Turkey is now top on the list of global consumption and became a prototype of excessive use of antibiotics. In the last two decades, family physicians (FPs) have become key figures in the healthcare system. This study aims to understand the reasons for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and elicit suggestions for improving antibiotic use in primary care from doctors themselves. Methodology: This is a qualitative semi-structured interview study with research dialogues guided by the Vancouver School of interpretive phenomenology. Fourteen FPs from different parts of Turkey were questioned on inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and their suggestions for improving antibiotic use. Results: The most important reasons for prescribing antibiotics without acceptable indications were patient expectations, defensive medical decision making, constraints due to workload, and limited access to laboratories. The most remarkable inference was the personal feeling of an insecure job environment of the FPs. The most potent suggestions for improving the quality of antibiotic prescription were public campaigns, improvements in the diagnostic infrastructures of primary care centers, and enhancing the social status of FPs. The FPs expressed strong concerns related to the complaints that patients make to administrative bodies. Conclusions: Primary care physicians work under immense pressure, stemming mainly from workload, patient expectations, and obstacles related to diagnostic processes. Improving the social status of physicians, increasing public awareness, and the facilitation of diagnostic procedures was the methods suggested for increasing antibiotic prescription accuracy.

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Do NHS GP surgeries employing GPs additionally trained in integrative or complementary medicine have lower antibiotic prescribing rates? Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of national primary care prescribing data in England in 2016

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020488 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e020488 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Esther T van der Werf ◽

Lorna J Duncan ◽

Paschen von Flotow ◽

Erik W Baars

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Tract Infection ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Additional Treatment ◽

Digital Data ◽

Future Research ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prescription Rates

ObjectiveTo determine differences in antibiotic prescription rates between conventional General Practice (GP) surgeries and GP surgeries employing general practitioners (GPs) additionally trained in integrative medicine (IM) or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (referred to as IM GPs) working within National Health Service (NHS) England.DesignRetrospective study on antibiotic prescription rates per STAR-PU (Specific Therapeutic group Age–sex weighting Related Prescribing Unit) using NHS Digital data over 2016. Publicly available data were used on prevalence of relevant comorbidities, demographics of patient populations and deprivation scores.SettingPrimary Care.Participants7283 NHS GP surgeries in England.Primary outcome measureThe association between IM GPs and antibiotic prescribing rates per STAR-PU with the number of antibiotic prescriptions (total, and for respiratory tract infection (RTI) and urinary tract infection (UTI) separately) as outcome.ResultsIM GP surgeries (n=9) were comparable to conventional GP surgeries in terms of list sizes, demographics, deprivation scores and comorbidity prevalence. Negative binomial regression models showed that statistically significant fewer total antibiotics (relative risk (RR) 0.78, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.97) and RTI antibiotics (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.94) were prescribed at NHS IM GP surgeries compared with conventional NHS GP surgeries. In contrast, the number of antibiotics prescribed for UTI were similar between both practices.ConclusionNHS England GP surgeries employing GPs additionally trained in IM/CAM have lower antibiotic prescribing rates. Accessibility of IM/CAM within NHS England primary care is limited. Main study limitation is the lack of consultation data. Future research should include the differences in consultation behaviour of patients self-selecting to consult an IM GP or conventional surgery, and its effect on antibiotic prescription. Additional treatment strategies for common primary care infections used by IM GPs should be explored to see if they could be used to assist in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

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Antibiotic Use in Children with Acute Respiratory or Ear Infections: Prospective Observational Comparison of Anthroposophic and Conventional Treatment under Routine Primary Care Conditions

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2014/243801 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Harald J. Hamre ◽

Anja Glockmann ◽

Reinhard Schwarz ◽

David S. Riley ◽

Erik W. Baars ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Studies ◽

Antibiotic Prescription ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Unadjusted Odds Ratio ◽

Prescription Rates ◽

Ear Infections

Children with acute respiratory or ear infections (RTI/OM) are often unnecessarily prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem and antibiotic prescription for RTI/OM should be reduced. Anthroposophic treatment of RTI/OM includes anthroposophic medications, nonmedication therapy and if necessary also antibiotics. This secondary analysis from an observational study comprised 529 children <18 years from Europe (AT, DE, NL, and UK) or USA, whose caregivers had chosen to consult physicians offering anthroposophic (A-) or conventional (C-) treatment for RTI/OM. During the 28-day follow-up antibiotics were prescribed to 5.5% of A-patients and 25.6% of C-patients (P<0.001); unadjusted odds ratio for nonprescription in A- versus C-patients 6.58 (95%-CI 3.45–12.56); after adjustment for demographics and morbidity 6.33 (3.17–12.64). Antibiotic prescription rates in recent observational studies with similar patients in similar settings, ranged from 31.0% to 84.1%. Compared to C-patients, A-patients also had much lower use of analgesics, somewhat quicker symptom resolution, and higher caregiver satisfaction. Adverse drug reactions were infrequent (2.3% in both groups) and not serious. Limitation was that results apply to children of caregivers who consult A-physicians. One cannot infer to what extent antibiotics might be avoided in children who usually receive C-treatment, if they were offered A-treatment.

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