Abstract
Study objectives: Group A β-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) is the only common cause of pharyngitis warranting antibiotics. Penicillin and erythromycin are recommended for GABHS in adults (≥12 years) by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA); aminopenicillins are recommended for children ( Methods: This retrospective, observational study used the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ED data, which annually conducts population-weighted, randomized sampling of EDs nationwide, from 1995 to 2001. Outcome measures were treatment with antibiotics according to IDSA guidelines. Comparisons were made with Pearson χ2 and analysis of variance; α was set at 0.01. Results: Fifty-one percent of the pharyngitis cohort received antibiotics. During the 7-year study period, antibiotic use decreased for children from 62% to 47% (P Conclusion: From 1995 to 2001, there was a trend toward less antibiotic usage for ED pharyngitis patients, with a concurrent increase in use of expensive, broad-spectrum antibiotics.
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