Prescribing For Respiratory Infections Research Articles

Improving outpatient antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections: results of new algorithms used in European trials.

Improving outpatient antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections: results of new algorithms used in European trials.

Continued high rates of antibiotic prescribing to adults with respiratory tract infection: survey of 568 UK general practices

ObjectivesOverutilisation of antibiotics may contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance, a growing international concern. This study aimed to analyse the performance of UK general practices with respect to...

Compliance with recommendations on outpatient antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections: the case of Spain.

Inappropriate antibiotic use in primary care, such as in respiratory tract infections (RTIs), is an important cause of bacterial resistance. This study aimed at describing the current pattern of outpatient antibiotic use in acute RTIs in Spain and evaluating adherence to national recommendations. A retrospective observational study was performed including all the episodes of RTIs registered during a 1-year period in a north-eastern Spanish region. Data related to patient demography, diagnoses and antibiotic prescriptions were collected from the electronic medical history database in the region, and adherence to recommendations for antibiotic prescribing was assessed. One third of patients with a RTI were prescribed an antibiotic, with young adults (aged 15-64years) being the most treated. High prescribing rates were observed in patients with acute otitis, sinusitis and acute tonsillitis (about 70%), whereas low rates were found in acute bronchitis (50%) and non-specific upper RTIs (24%) episodes. A high prescription of broad-spectrum agents and antibiotics not recommended as first choice was observed. In accordance with Spanish guidelines, there exists a potential over-prescribing of antibiotics for all the diagnoses studied, especially in the adult population. Moreover, the choice of antibiotics is frequently based on agents with a high risk of increasing antimicrobial resistance. Multifaceted strategies should be implemented to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing in primary care.

Prescripción antibiótica en infecciones respiratorias agudas en atención primaria

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance is a worldwide threat to public health. Acute respiratory tract infections are the main reason for antibiotic prescribing in the Spanish paediatric population. The aim of the study was to describe the frequency of antibiotic prescription and their pattern of use in acute respiratory tract infections diagnosed in children in Primary Care in Aragón (Spain). MethodologyA study was conducted over a 1-year period on children between 0 and 14 years-old, recording all episodes of acute otitis, acute pharyngotonsillitis, non-specific upper respiratory infection, and acute bronchitis. The proportion of episodes within each diagnosis receiving an antibiotic prescription was calculated, and the prescribing pattern was determined. ResultsHalf (50%) of the children in Aragón were diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection during the study period. Non-specific upper respiratory infection was the most frequent diagnosis. An antibiotic was prescribed in 75% of pharyngotonsillitis episodes, 72% of otitis, 27% of bronchitis, and 16% of non-specific upper respiratory infections. Broad spectrum antibiotics, mainly amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic, were predominantly prescribed. ConclusionsAntibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections in children was generally high, and the choice of antibiotics was probably inappropriate in a high percentage of cases. Therefore an improvement in antibiotic prescribing in children appears to be needed.

Electronic health records for intervention research: a cluster randomized trial to reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care (eCRT study).

This study aimed to implement a point-of-care cluster randomized trial using electronic health records. We evaluated the effectiveness of electronically delivered decision support tools at reducing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care. Family practices from England and Scotland participating in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) were included in the trial; 53 family practices were allocated to intervention and 51 practices were allocated to usual care. Patients aged 18 to 59 years consulting for respiratory tract infections were eligible. The intervention was through remotely installed, computer-delivered decision support tools accessed during the consultations. Control practices provided usual care. The primary outcome was the proportion of consultations for respiratory tract infections with an antibiotic prescribed based on electronic health records. Family practice-specific proportions were included in a cluster-level analysis. Data were analyzed for 603,409 patients: 317,717 at intervention practices and 285,692 at control practices. Use of the intervention was less than anticipated, varying among practices. There was a reduction in proportion of consultations with antibiotics prescribed of 1.85% (95% CI, 0.10%-3.59%, P=.038) and in the rate of antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (9.69%; 95% CI, 0.75%-18.63%, fewer prescriptions per 1,000 patient-years, P=.034). There were no adverse events. Cluster randomized trials may be implemented efficiently in large samples from routine care settings by using primary care electronic health records. Future studies should develop and test multicomponent methods for remotely delivered intervention.

Usefulness of C-reactive protein testing in acute cough/respiratory tract infection: an open cluster-randomized clinical trial with C-reactive protein testing in the intervention group.

BackgroundPoint of care testing for C-reactive protein (CRP) has shown promise as a measure to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections (RTI), but its use in primary care is still controversial. We aimed to evaluate the effect of CRP testing on the prescription of antibiotics, referral for radiography, and the outcome of patients in general practice with acute cough/RTI.MethodsAn open-cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted, with CRP testing performed in the intervention group. Antibiotic prescribing and referral for radiography were the main outcome measures.ResultsA total of 179 patients were included: 101 in the intervention group and 78 in the control group. The two groups were similar in clinical characteristics. In the intervention group, the antibiotic prescribing rate was 37.6%, which was significantly lower than that in the control group (58.9%) (P = 0.006). Referral for chest X-ray was also significantly lower in the intervention group (55.4%) than in the control group (75.6%) (P = 0.004). The recovery rate, as recorded by the GPs, was 92.9% and 93.6% in the intervention and control groups, respectively.ConclusionThe study showed that CRP testing in patients with acute cough/RTI may reduce antibiotic prescribing and referral for radiography, probably without compromising recovery.Trial registrationThe trial was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System (identification number: NCT01794819).

Effectiveness of two types of intervention on antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections in Primary Care in Spain. Happy Audit Study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of two types of intervention in reducing antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections (RTI). DesignBefore–after audit-based study. SettingPrimary Care centres in Spain. ParticipantsGeneral practitioners (GPs) registered all patients with RTIs for 15 days in winter 2008 (pre-intervention), and again in winter 2009 (post-intervention). InterventionsIntervention activities included meetings, with the presentation and discussion of the results, and several training meetings on RTI guidelines, information brochures for patients, workshops on point-of-care tests – rapid antigen detection tests and C-reactive protein rapid test – and provision of these tests in the clinic. All GPs, with the exception of those in Catalonia, made up the full intervention group (FIG); conversely, Catalan doctors underwent the same intervention, except for the workshop on rapid tests (partial intervention group, PIG). Multilevel logistic regression was performed taking the prescription of antibiotics as the dependent variable. ResultsOut of a total of 309 GPs involved in the first register, 281 completed the intervention and the second register (90.9%), of which 210 were assigned to the FIG, and 71 to the PIG. The odds ratio of antibiotic prescribing after the intervention was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.89–1.10) among GPs assigned to PIG, and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.44–0.57, p<0.001) among those who were allocated to FIG. The reduction in antibiotic prescribing in FIG was more marked in flu infection, common cold, acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, and acute bronchitis. ConclusionsActive participation of GPs with the performance of point-of-care tests in the clinic is accompanied by a drastic reduction of antibiotic use in RTIs, primarily in infections considered as mainly viral.

Antibiotic use in Dutch primary care: relation between diagnosis, consultation and treatment

Countries generally present their overall use of antibiotics as an indicator of antibiotic prescribing quality. Additional insight is urgently needed for targeted improvement recommendations: first, data on specific clinical indications for which antibiotics are used, and second, on distinguishing whether changes in patient consultation or changes in physician prescribing drive changing antibiotic use for particular indications. The aim of this study was to describe the antibiotic management of infectious diseases in the clinical context, by analysing prescribing by physicians and patient consultation incidences per indication over time. A database with all contact data for infectious diseases from 45 primary care practices in the Netherlands (2007-10) was used. Consultation incidences, prescribing rates and choice of antibiotic were analysed per International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) chapter and relevant ICPC codes. Antibiotics were prescribed in ∼25% of infectious disease episodes, mainly respiratory infections, urinary infections and ear and skin infections. Overall, this resulted in 300 prescribed courses of antibiotics per 1000 patient-years. Given a stable prescription rate, a 19% increase in the number of consultations explained the increased antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections. Given a stable consultation incidence, an 8% reduction in prescribing rate explained the decreased antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections. Macrolides were predominantly prescribed for respiratory disease (∼66%), amoxicillin/clavulanate for respiratory disease (∼42%) and urinary illness (∼25%), and fluoroquinolones for urinary and genital indications. Insight into the reasons for the decreased prescribing for respiratory tract infections and the increased prescribing for urinary tract infections was provided by a detailed analysis of incidences and prescribing rates. For respiratory disease, the second- and third-choice antibiotics were overused. Complete data on infectious disease management, with respect to patient and physician behaviour, are crucial for understanding changes in antibiotic use, and in defining strategies to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use.

Antibiotics and near-patient testing: Differences in habits between physicians completing or discontinuing a medical audit

Background and Aim: Respiratory tract infection (RTI) is a common reason for consulting primary health care. Antibiotic prescribing for RTIs varies among physicians indicating that national guidelines are not always adhered to. The aim was to study if antibiotic prescribing and use of near-patient tests were different among physicians who complete an audit registration and those who discontinue their participation. Method: A prospective cohort study where physicians participated in an APO (Audit Project Odense) process, making an audit registration for every appointment with a patient who had a respiratory tract infection during 4 weeks in 2008 and 4 weeks in 2009. Between the registrations, a limited educationally oriented intervention was made. 18 Primary Health Care Centres located in three counties in southern of Sweden with 77 primary health care physicians participated. When comparing proportions the Chisquare test was used. Mann Whitney U-test was used when comparing independent groups and Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test was used when comparing dependent groups. Results: Of the 77 physicians, 38 participated only at baseline (group 1) and 39 participated in both registrations (group 2). The overall use of CRP near-patient tests was 37% in group 1 and 28% in group 2 (Chisquare p pharyngitis/tonsillitis, antibiotics were prescribed to 45% in group 1 and to 12% by group 2 (Chisquare 0.003). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study showed that physicians, who were more inclined to complete audit participation, used near-patient tests and prescribed antibiotics more correctly, according to the national guidelines for respiratory tract infections, than physicians who discontinued the participation. To achieve a rational use of antibiotics, near-patient tests and prescription of antibiotics must be used according to guidelines.

Association between point-of-care CRP testing and antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary care studies

Most patients with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are prescribed antibiotics in general practice. However, there is little evidence that antibiotics bring any value to the treatment of most RTIs. Point-of-care C-reactive protein testing may reduce antibiotic prescribing. To systematically review studies that have examined the association between point-of-care (POC) C-reactive protein testing and antibiotic prescribing for RTIs in general practice. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. MEDLINE(®) and Embase were systematically searched to identify relevant publications. All studies that examined the association between POC C-reactive protein testing and antibiotic prescribing for patients with RTIs were included. Two authors independently screened the search results and extracted data from eligible studies. Dichotomous measures of outcomes were combined using risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) either by fixed or random-effect models. Thirteen studies containing 10 005 patients met the inclusion criteria. POC C-reactive protein testing was associated with a significant reduction in antibiotic prescribing at the index consultation (RR 0.75, 95% CI = 0.67 to 0.83), but was not associated with antibiotic prescribing at any time during the 28-day follow-up period (RR 0.85, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.01) or with patient satisfaction (RR 1.07, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.17). POC C-reactive protein testing significantly reduced antibiotic prescribing at the index consultation for patients with RTIs. Further studies are needed to analyse the confounders that lead to the heterogeneity.

PP36 Use of Electronic Health Records to Implement a Cluster Randomised Trial in Primary Care

BackgroundElectronic health records (EHRs) represent a potentially valuable resource for evaluating health interventions. This research aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a cluster randomised trial in a primary care...

Antibiotic overprescribing: who are the bad guys?

The July Journal includes many articles on trying to reduce antibiotic prescribing in respiratory infections.1–5 May I bounce back a few obstacles? Azithromycin to be taken three times a week? We have a growing cohort from secondary care of people with chronic airways disease, emphysema, …

“I'm Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”: Are GPs’ antibiotic prescribing patterns contextually dependent? A qualitative focus group study

Objective. To explore factors and circumstances contributing to prudent antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care. Design. Two focus groups representing rural and urban areas. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions and an editing analysis style was used. They were examined to identify meaning units that were sorted into categories in an iterative process throughout the analysis. Setting. Primary health care in two counties in southern Sweden. Subjects. Two groups including seven and six general practitioners (GPs) respectively, men and women of different ages with different professional experiences. Main outcome measures. Exploration of categories, determination of themes, construction of models. Results. The decision to prescribe antibiotics takes place in the encounter between GP and patient, initially characterized by harmony or fight and the subsequent process by collaboration or negotiation, resulting in agreement, compromise, or disagreement. Several factors influence the meeting and contribute to enhancing the conditions for rational prescribing. These conditions are connected to the GP, the relationship, and the setting; organization as well as professional culture. The findings indicate synergies between the factors, and that one factor can sometimes compensate for lack of another. Continuity and mutual trust can make a brief consultation successful, but lack of continuity can eliminate the effects of knowledge and professional skills. Conclusions. The findings emphasize the importance of the encounter between the GP and the patient for prudent antibiotic prescribing. Furthermore, the importance of an appropriate organization of primary care, which promotes continuity and encourages professional autonomy, is demonstrated.

Improving antibiotic prescribing in acute respiratory tract infections: cluster randomised trial from Norwegian general practice (prescription peer academic detailing (Rx-PAD) study)

Objective To assess the effects of a multifaceted educational intervention in Norwegian general practice aiming to reduce antibiotic prescription rates for acute respiratory tract infections and to reduce the use...

Antibiotic prescription for respiratory tract infections in ventilated patients: where are we heading?

Antibiotic prescription for respiratory tract infections in ventilated patients: where are we heading?

Converting habits of antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in German primary care – the cluster-randomized controlled CHANGE-2 trial

BackgroundWith an average prescription rate of 50%, in German primary care antibiotics are still too frequently prescribed for respiratory tract infections. The over-prescription of antibiotics is often explained by perceived patient pressure and fears of a complicated disease progression. The CHANGE-2 trial will test the effectiveness of two interventions to reduce the rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for adults and children suffering from respiratory tract infections in German primary care.Methods/DesignThe study is a three-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial that measures antibiotic prescription rates over three successive winter periods and reverts to administrative data of the German statutory health insurance company AOK. More than 30,000 patients in two regions of Germany, who visit their general practitioner or pediatrician for respiratory tract infections will be included. Interventions are: A) communication training for general practitioners and pediatricians and B) intervention A plus point-of-care testing. Both interventions are tested against usual care. Outcome measure is the physicians’ antibiotic prescription rate for respiratory tract infections derived from data of the health insurance company AOK. Secondary outcomes include reconsultation rate, complications, and hospital admissions.DiscussionMajor aim of the study is to improve the process of decision-making and to ensure that patients who are likely to benefit from antibiotics are treated accordingly. Our approach is simple to implement and might be used rapidly among general practitioners and pediatricians. We expect the results of this trial to have major impact on antibiotic prescription strategies and practices in Germany, both among general practitioners and pediatricians.Trial registrationThe study is registered at the Current Controlled Trials Ltd (ISRCTN01559032)

Effectiveness of physician-targeted interventions to improve antibiotic use for respiratory tract infections

Antibiotic use and concomitant resistance are increasing. Literature reviews do not unambiguously indicate which interventions are most effective in improving antibiotic prescribing practice. To assess the effectiveness of physician-targeted interventions aiming to improve antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in primary care, and to identify intervention features mostly contributing to intervention success. Analysis of a set of physician-targeted interventions in primary care. A literature search (1990-2009) for studies describing the effectiveness of interventions aiming to optimise antibiotic prescription for RTIs by primary care physicians. Intervention features were extracted and effectiveness sizes were calculated. Association between intervention features and intervention success was analysed in multivariate regression analysis. This study included 58 studies, describing 87 interventions of which 60% significantly improved antibiotic prescribing; interventions aiming to decrease overall antibiotic prescription were more frequently effective than interventions aiming to increase first choice prescription. On average, antibiotic prescription was reduced by 11.6%, and first choice prescription increased by 9.6%. Multiple interventions containing at least 'educational material for the physician' were most often effective. No significant added value was found for interventions containing patient-directed elements. Communication skills training and near-patient testing sorted the largest intervention effects. This review emphasises the importance of physician education in optimising antibiotic use. Further research should focus on how to provide physicians with the relevant knowledge and tools, and when to supplement education with additional intervention elements. Feasibility should be included in this process.

Impact of the French campaign to reduce inappropriate ambulatory antibiotic use on the prescription and consultation rates for respiratory tract infections

To assess long-term trends in the volume of ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions and prescription and consultation rates for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in France in relation to the yearly public antibiotic campaign since 2002. Data collected on representative cohorts of office-based physicians and pharmacies in France participating in IMS Health panels between 1980 and 2009 were analysed retrospectively. Main outcome measures were antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants per year (PIY), consultations per 1000 inhabitants per year and proportion of consultations resulting in antibiotic prescriptions. The peak in ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions occurred in 1997 (1468 PIY). Although prescriptions had decreased by 6% until 2001, prescriptions fell sharply (-22%) between 2001 and 2004, followed by stable prescription rates until 2009. The 2001-09 decrease in antibiotic prescriptions was driven by a sharp decline in office-based antibiotic prescriptions (-33%), exclusively achieved through a decrease in prescriptions for RTIs. Consultations for RTIs steadily declined between 2001 and 2009 (-23%), with the proportion of consultations resulting in antibiotic prescriptions decreasing from 58% to 46%. Not all types of RTIs were equally affected. The largest decrease in prescriptions was observed for nasopharyngitis and influenza. Rates for bronchitis, sinusitis, otitis media and tonsillitis remained persistently high. During its first 3 years, the French public campaign accelerated a pre-existing decrease in ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions. The decrease in consultation rates suggests that altered illness behaviour of patients may have contributed to the observed decline. The persistently high prescribing rates for certain RTIs show that further effort is needed to improve antibiotic prescribing in France.

Susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae to Fluoroquinolones in Canada

Ciprofloxacin, the first fluoroquinolone to be used to treat lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), demonstrates poor potency against Streptococcus pneumoniae, and its use has been associated with the emergence of resistance. During the last decade, fluoroquinolones with enhanced in vitro activity against S. pneumoniae have replaced ciprofloxacin for the treatment of LRTI. Here, we analyzed the impact of more active fluoroquinolone usage on pneumococci by examining the fluoroquinolone usage, prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance, and mutations in the genes that encode the major target sites for the fluoroquinolones (gyrA and parC) in pneumococcal isolates collected in Canada-wide surveillance. A total of 26,081 isolates were collected between 1998 and 2009. During this time period, total per capita outpatient use of fluoroquinolones increased from 64 to 96 prescriptions per 1,000 persons per year. The proportion of prescriptions for respiratory tract infection that were for fluoroquinolones increased from 5.9% to 10.7%, but the distribution changed: the proportion of prescriptions for ciprofloxacin decreased from 5.3% to 0.5%, and those for levofloxacin or moxifloxacin increased from 1.5% in 1999 to 5.9% in 2009. The prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance (MIC ≥ 4 μg/ml), levofloxacin resistance, and moxifloxacin resistance remained unchanged at <2%. Multivariable analyses showed that prevalence of mutations known to be associated with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones did not change during the surveillance period. If fluoroquinolone therapy is required, the preferential use of fluoroquinolones with enhanced pneumococcal activity to treat pneumococcal infections may slow the emergence of resistance in S. pneumoniae.

Use and feasibility of delayed prescribing for respiratory tract infections: A questionnaire survey

BackgroundDelayed prescribing of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) lowers the amount of antibiotics consumed. Several national treatment guidelines on RTIs recommend the strategy. When advocating treatment innovations, the feasibility and credibility of the innovation must be taken into account. The objective of this study was to explore GPs use and patients uptake of wait-and-see prescriptions for RTIs, and to investigate the feasibility of the strategy from GPs' and patients' perspectives.MethodsQuestionnaire survey among Norwegian GPs issuing and patients receiving a wait-and-see-prescription for RTIs. Patients reported symptoms, confidence and antibiotics consumption, GPs reported diagnoses, reason for issuing a wait-and-see-prescription and their opinion about the method.Results304 response pairs from consultations with 49 GPs were received. The patient response rate was 80%. The most common diagnosis for the GPs to issue a wait-and-see prescription was sinusitis (33%) and otitis (21%). 46% of the patients reported to consume the antibiotics. When adjusted for other factors, the diagnosis did not predict antibiotic consumption, but both being 16 years or more (p = 0,006) and reporting to have a fever (p = 0,012) doubled the odds of antibiotic consumption, while feeling very ill more than quadrupled the odds (p = 0,002). In 210 cases (69%), the GP found delayed prescribing a very reasonable strategy, and 270 patients (89%) would prefer to receive a wait-and-see prescription in a similar situation in the future. The GPs found delayed prescribing very reasonable most frequently in cases of sinusitis (79%, p = 0,007) and least frequently in cases of lower RTIs (49%, p = 0,002).ConclusionMost patients and GPs are satisfied with the delayed prescribing strategy. The patients' age, symptoms and malaise are more important than the diagnosis in predicting antibiotic consumption. The GP's view of the method as a reasonable approach depends on the patient's diagnosis. In our setting, delayed prescribing seems to be a feasible strategy, especially in cases of sinusitis and otitis. Educational efforts to promote delayed prescribing in similar settings should focus on these diagnoses.