Dataset Information

Nonprescription Antimicrobial Use in a Primary Care Population in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Community antimicrobial resistance rates are high in communities with frequent use of nonprescription antibiotics. Studies addressing nonprescription antibiotic use in the United States have been restricted to Latin American immigrants. We estimated the prevalence of nonprescription antibiotic use in the previous 12 months as well as intended use (intention to use antibiotics without a prescription) and storage of antibiotics and examined patient characteristics associated with nonprescription use in a random sample of adults. We selected private and public primary care clinics that serve ethnically and socioeconomically diverse patients. Within the clinics, we used race/ethnicity-stratified systematic random sampling to choose a random sample of primary care patients. We used a self-administered standardized questionnaire on antibiotic use. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of nonprescription use. The response rate was 94%. Of 400 respondents, 20 (5%) reported nonprescription use of systemic antibiotics in the last 12 months, 102 (25.4%) reported intended use, and 57 (14.2%) stored antibiotics at home. These rates were similar across race/ethnicity groups. Sources of antibiotics used without prescriptions or stored for future use were stores or pharmacies in the United States, "leftover" antibiotics from previous prescriptions, antibiotics obtained abroad, or antibiotics obtained from a relative or friend. Respiratory symptoms were common reasons for the use of nonprescription antibiotics. In multivariate analyses, public clinic patients, those with less education, and younger patients were more likely to endorse intended use. The problem of nonprescription use is not confined to Latino communities. Community antimicrobial stewardship must include a focus on nonprescription antibiotics.

SUBMITTER: Zoorob R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4997852 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Nonprescription Antimicrobial Use in a Primary Care Population in the United States.

Zoorob Roger R Grigoryan Larissa L Nash Susan S Trautner Barbara W BW

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 20160822 9

Community antimicrobial resistance rates are high in communities with frequent use of nonprescription antibiotics. Studies addressing nonprescription antibiotic use in the United States have been restricted to Latin American immigrants. We estimated the prevalence of nonprescription antibiotic use in the previous 12 months as well as intended use (intention to use antibiotics without a prescription) and storage of antibiotics and examined patient characteristics associated with nonprescription u ...[more]

PMID: 27401572

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceRecent US health care reforms incentivize improved population health outcomes and primary care functions. It remains unclear how much improving primary care physician supply can improve population health, independent of other health care and socioeconomic factors.ObjectivesTo identify primary care physician supply changes across US counties from 2005-2015 and associations between such changes and population mortality.Design, setting, and participantsThis epidemiological study evaluated US population data and individual-level claims data linked to mortality from 2005 to 2015 against changes in primary care and specialist physician supply from 2005 to 2015. Data from 3142 US counties, 7144 primary care service areas, and 306 hospital referral regions were used to investigate the association of primary care physician supply with changes in life expectancy and cause-specific mortality after adjustment for health care, demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral covariates. Analysis was performed from March to July 2018.Main outcomes and measuresAge-standardized life expectancy, cause-specific mortality, and restricted mean survival time.ResultsPrimary care physician supply increased from 196 014 physicians in 2005 to 204 419 in 2015. Owing to disproportionate losses of primary care physicians in some counties and population increases, the mean (SD) density of primary care physicians relative to population size decreased from 46.6 per 100 000 population (95% CI, 0.0-114.6 per 100 000 population) to 41.4 per 100 000 population (95% CI, 0.0-108.6 per 100 000 population), with greater losses in rural areas. In adjusted mixed-effects regressions, every 10 additional primary care physicians per 100 000 population was associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy (95% CI, 29.5-73.5 days; 0.2% increase), whereas an increase in 10 specialist physicians per 100 000 population corresponded to a 19.2-day increase (95% CI, 7.0-31.3 days). A total of 10 additional primary care physicians per 100 000 population was associated with reduced cardiovascular, cancer, and respiratory mortality by 0.9% to 1.4%. Analyses at different geographic levels, using instrumental variable regressions, or at the individual level found similar benefits associated with primary care supply.Conclusions and relevanceGreater primary care physician supply was associated with lower mortality, but per capita supply decreased between 2005 and 2015. Programs to explicitly direct more resources to primary care physician supply may be important for population health.

Dataset Information

Nonprescription Antimicrobial Use in a Primary Care Population in the United States.

Publications

Nonprescription Antimicrobial Use in a Primary Care Population in the United States.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets