1117. A Retrospective Analysis of Paediatric Prescribing in British Columbia from 2013 to 2016

Abstract

BackgroundAntibiotic prescribing in pediatric care is highly prevalent. Often children are prescribed antibiotics for conditions that are commonly self-limiting and viral in etiology such as upper respiratory tract infections. The purpose of this study was to examine the scope of pediatric antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia from 2013 to 2016 and identify potential new provincial antimicrobial stewardship targets.MethodsAntibiotic prescription data for children were extracted from a provincial prescription database, and linked to demographic files in order to obtain patient age, sex and geographic location. Prescription rates were then calculated, and trends were examined by major anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification.ResultsOur cohort included an average of 271,134 children per year and 1,767,652 antibiotic prescriptions. Over the 4 years, rates of antibiotic prescribing increased 4.5% (from 453 to 474 prescriptions per 1,000 population per year). The greatest increase, across all classes of antibiotics, was seen in children aged 0–2 years of age. By 2016, the greatest increase in prescribing, by class, was observed in J01X (e.g., nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin) with a 1360% increase for children aged 3–9. Across all ages, quinolones (J01M) increased 98%. Remaining classes, including β lactams (J01C), and macrolides (J01F), experienced modest reductions in the older age groups.ConclusionPast studies have illustrated decreasing or static rates of antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia. However, we have identified a paradoxical (4.5%) increase in pediatric antibiotic prescribing since 2013. Although it appears that provincial efforts have been successful in reducing the use of broad-spectrum penicillins (J01C), marked surges in the use of classes like tetracylines (J01A), quinolones (J01M), and other antibacterials (J01X) identify a new potential target for provincial stewardship.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.