Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Boeijen JA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8698485 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description: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.
| S-EPMC7922191 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Antibiotic overuse in the primary care setting is common. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of a clinical pathway-based intervention on antibiotic use.Eight primary care clinics were randomized to receive clinical pathways for upper respiratory infection, acute bronchitis, acute rhinosinusitis, pharyngitis, acute otitis media, urinary tract infection, skin infections, and pneumonia and patient education materials (study group) versus no intervention (control group). Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to assess trends in antibiotic prescriptions for non-pneumonia acute respiratory infections and broad-spectrum antibiotic use for all 8 conditions during a 2-year baseline and 1-year intervention period.In the study group, antibiotic prescriptions for non-pneumonia acute respiratory infections decreased from 42.7% of cases at baseline to 37.9% during the intervention period (11.2% relative reduction) (P<.0001) and from 39.8% to 38.7%, respectively, in the control group (2.8% relative reduction) (P=.25). Overall use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the study group decreased from 26.4% to 22.6% of cases, respectively (14.4% relative reduction) (P<.0001) and from 20.0% to 19.4%, respectively, in the control group (3.0% relative reduction) (P=.35). There were significant differences in the trends of prescriptions for acute respiratory infections (P<.0001) and broad-spectrum antibiotic use (P=.001) between the study and control groups during the intervention period, with greater declines in the study group.This intervention was associated with declining antibiotic prescriptions for non-pneumonia acute respiratory infections and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics over the first year. Evaluation of the impact over a longer study period is warranted.
| S-EPMC3666348 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo examine variations across general practices and factors associated with antibiotic prescribing for common infections in UK primary care to identify potential targets for improvement and optimization of prescribing.MethodsOral antibiotic prescribing for common infections was analysed using anonymized UK primary care electronic health records between 2000 and 2015 using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The rate of prescribing for each condition was observed over time and mean change points were compared with national guideline updates. Any correlation between the rate of prescribing for each infectious condition was estimated within a practice. Predictors of prescribing were estimated using logistic regression in a matched patient cohort (1:1 by age, sex and calendar time).ResultsOver 8 million patient records were examined in 587 UK general practices. Practices varied considerably in their propensity to prescribe antibiotics and this variance increased over time. Change points in prescribing did not reflect updates to national guidelines. Prescribing levels within practices were not consistent for different infectious conditions. A history of antibiotic use significantly increased the risk of receiving a subsequent antibiotic (by 22%-48% for patients with three or more antibiotic prescriptions in the past 12 months), as did higher BMI, history of smoking and flu vaccinations. Other drivers for receiving an antibiotic varied considerably for each condition.ConclusionsLarge variability in antibiotic prescribing between practices and within practices was observed. Prescribing guidelines alone do not positively influence a change in prescribing, suggesting more targeted interventions are required to optimize antibiotic prescribing in the UK.
| S-EPMC6640319 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveThis study evaluated whether serious bacterial infections are more frequent at family practices with lower antibiotic prescribing rates.DesignCohort study.Setting706 UK family practices in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink from 2002 to 2017.Participants10.1 million registered patients with 69.3 million patient-years' follow-up.ExposuresAll antibiotic prescriptions, subgroups of acute and repeat antibiotic prescriptions, and proportion of antibiotic prescriptions associated with specific-coded indications.Main outcome measuresFirst episodes of serious bacterial infections. Poisson models were fitted adjusting for age group, gender, comorbidity, deprivation, region and calendar year, with random intercepts representing family practice-specific estimates.ResultsThe age-standardised antibiotic prescribing rate per 1000 patient-years increased from 2002 (male 423; female 621) to 2012 (male 530; female 842) before declining to 2017 (male 449; female 753). The median family practice had an antibiotic prescribing rate of 648 per 1000 patient-years with 95% range for different practices of 430-1038 antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 patient-years. Specific coded indications were recorded for 58% of antibiotic prescriptions at the median family practice, the 95% range at different family practices was from 10% to 75%. There were 139 759 first episodes of serious bacterial infection. After adjusting for covariates and the proportion of coded consultations, there was no evidence that serious bacterial infections were lower at family practices with higher total antibiotic prescribing. The adjusted rate ratio for 20% higher total antibiotic prescribing was 1.03, (95% CI 1.00 to 1.06, p=0.074).ConclusionsWe did not find population-level evidence that family practices with lower total antibiotic prescribing might have more frequent occurrence of serious bacterial infections overall. Improving the recording of infection episodes has potential to inform better antimicrobial stewardship in primary care.
| S-EPMC7050314 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives:Previous work based on guidelines and expert opinion identified 'ideal' prescribing proportions-the overall proportion of consultations that should result in an antibiotic prescription-for common infectious conditions. Here, actual condition-specific prescribing proportions in primary care in England were compared with ideal prescribing proportions identified by experts. Methods:All recorded consultations for common infectious conditions (cough, bronchitis, exacerbations of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sore throat, rhinosinusitis, otitis media, lower respiratory tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, influenza-like illness, urinary tract infection, impetigo, acne, gastroenteritis) for 2013-15 were extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. The proportions of consultations resulting in an antibiotic prescription were established, concentrating on acute presentations in patients without relevant comorbidities. These actual prescribing proportions were then compared with previously established 'ideal' proportions by condition. Results:For most conditions, substantially higher proportions of consultations resulted in an antibiotic prescription than was deemed appropriate according to expert opinion. An antibiotic was prescribed in 41% of all acute cough consultations when experts advocated 10%. For other conditions the proportions were: bronchitis (actual 82% versus ideal 13%); sore throat (actual 59% versus ideal 13%); rhinosinusitis (actual 88% versus ideal 11%); and acute otitis media in 2- to 18-year-olds (actual 92% versus ideal 17%). Substantial variation between practices was found. Conclusions:This work has identified substantial overprescribing of antibiotics in English primary care, and highlights conditions where this is most pronounced, particularly in respiratory tract conditions.
| S-EPMC5890776 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Antibiotic overprescribing is one of the main drivers of the global and growing problem of antibiotic resistance, especially in primary care and for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). RTIs are the most common reason for patients to consult out-of-hours (OOH) primary care. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way general practitioners (GPs) work, both during office hours and OOH. In Belgian OOH primary care, remote consultations with the possibility of issuing prescriptions and telephone triage were implemented. We aimed to describe the impact of COVID-19 on GPs' antibiotic prescribing during OOH primary care. In an observational study, using routinely collected health data from GP cooperatives (GPCs) in Flanders, we analyzed GPs' antibiotic prescriptions in 2019 (10 GPCs) and 2020 (20 GPCs) during OOH consultations (telephone and face-to-face). We used autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling to identify any changes after lockdowns were implemented. In total, 388,293 contacts and 268,430 prescriptions were analyzed in detail. The number of antibiotic prescriptions per weekend, per 100,000 population was 11.47 (95% CI: 9.08-13.87) or 42.9% lower after compared to before the implementation of lockdown among all contacts. For antibiotic prescribing per contact, we found a decrease of 12.2 percentage points (95% CI: 10.6-13.7) or 56.5% among all contacts and of 5.3 percentage points (95% CI: 3.7-6.9) or 23.2% for face-to-face contacts only. The decrease in the number of prescriptions was more pronounced for cases with respiratory symptoms that corresponded with symptoms of COVID-19 and for antibiotics that are frequently prescribed for RTIs, such as amoxicillin (a decrease of 64.9%) and amoxicillin/clavulanate (a decrease of 38.1%) but did not appear for others such as nitrofurantoin. The implementation of COVID-19 lockdown measures coincided with an unprecedented drop in the number of antibiotic prescriptions, which can be explained by a decrease in face-to-face patient contacts, as well as a lower number of antibiotics prescriptions per face-to-face patient contact. The decrease was seen for antibiotics used for RTIs but not for nitrofurantoin, the first-choice antibiotic for urinary tract infections.
| S-EPMC8698421 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the effect of community prescribing of an antibiotic for acute respiratory infection on the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in an individual child.Study designObservational cohort study with follow-up at two and 12 weeks.SettingGeneral practices in Oxfordshire.Participants119 children with acute respiratory tract infection, of whom 71 received a beta lactam antibiotic.Main outcome measuresAntibiotic resistance was assessed by the geometric mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for ampicillin and presence of the ICEHin1056 resistance element in up to four isolates of Haemophilus species recovered from throat swabs at recruitment, two weeks, and 12 weeks.ResultsPrescribing amoxicillin to a child in general practice more than triples the mean minimum inhibitory concentration for ampicillin (9.2 microg/ml v 2.7 microg/ml, P=0.005) and doubles the risk of isolation of Haemophilus isolates possessing homologues of ICEHin1056 (67% v 36%; relative risk 1.9, 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 2.9) two weeks later. Although this increase is transient (by 12 weeks ampicillin resistance had fallen close to baseline), it is in the context of recovery of the element from 35% of children with Haemophilus isolates at recruitment and from 83% (76% to 89%) at some point in the study.ConclusionThe short term effect of amoxicillin prescribed in primary care is transitory in the individual child but sufficient to sustain a high level of antibiotic resistance in the population.
| S-EPMC1962897 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is a self-limiting viral infection and should not be treated with antibiotics. The aim was to evaluate antibiotic prescriptions for children with uncomplicated URTI in a large nationwide private clinic network between 2014 and 2020. Special focus was given to macrolide prescriptions and costs. The data were obtained from the electronic health records (EHR) of the largest private healthcare company in Finland (with about 250,000 paediatric visits annually across the country). The collected variables included diagnoses, age, visit year, speciality of the doctor, and prescribed antibiotics. The number of uncomplicated URTIs in < 18-year-old children was 156,187 (53.0% in boys). The prescription rate of antibiotics decreased from 18.0% in 2014 to 8.8% in 2020, and that of macrolides from 6.1 to 1.7%. The costs decreased accordingly. Paediatricians prescribed antibiotics less often than general practitioners or ear, nose, and throat specialists.ConclusionAntibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated URTIs, especially macrolides, decreased substantially during the 7-year surveillance period; however, 8.8% of children still received unnecessary antibiotics. To further reduce unwarranted antibiotic prescriptions, active interventions are needed that can be performed by applying the available EHR system.What is known• Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is the most common infection in children. Uncomplicated URTI is a self-limiting viral infection, and antibiotic treatment is not warranted.What is new• Almost 9% of children with uncomplicated URTIs still received unnecessary antibiotics. Paediatricians prescribed antibiotics less often than general practitioners or ear, nose, and throat specialists. To further reduce unwarranted antibiotic prescriptions, active interventions are needed that can be performed by applying the available EHR system.
| S-EPMC9126572 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Urinary tract infections are one of the most common reasons for prescribing antibiotics in primary care. Current guidelines recommend fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, or trimethoprim - sulfamethoxazol as empiric first line antimicrobial agents in uncomplicated infections. However, there is evidence that the use of fluoroquinolones, which are no longer recommended, is still inappropriate high. We determined antibiotic prescription patterns, quality and factors affecting antibiotic prescriptions in urinary tract infections in primary care in Switzerland. METHODS:From June 2017 to August 2018, we conducted a cross-sectional study in patients suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI). Patient and general practitioners characteristics as well as antibiotic prescribing patterns were analysed. RESULTS:Antibiotic prescribing patterns in 1.352 consecutively recruited patients, treated in 163 practices could be analysed. In 950 (84.7%) patients with an uncomplicated UTI the prescriptions were according to current guidelines and therefore rated as appropriate. Fluoroquinolones were prescribed in 13.8% and therefore rated as inappropriate. In multivariable analysis, the age of the general practitioner was associated with increasing odds of prescribing a not guideline recommended antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS:We found a high degree of guideline conform antibiotic prescriptions in patients with an uncomplicated urinary tract infection in primary care in Switzerland. However, there is still a substantial use of fluoroquinolones in empiric therapy.
| S-EPMC7329427 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo study antibiotic prescriptions among 0- to 4-year-old children before and after implementing a quality project on prudent prescribing of antibiotics in primary healthcare in the capital region of Iceland.DesignAn observational, descriptive, retrospective study using quantitative methodology.SettingPrimary healthcare in the Reykjavik area with a total population of approximately 220,000.SubjectsA total of 6420 children 0-4 years of age presenting at the primary healthcare centres in the metropolitan area over three years from 2016 to 2018.Main outcome measuresReduction of antibiotic prescriptions and change in antibiotic profile. Data on antibiotic prescriptions for children 0-4 years of age was obtained from the medical records. Out-of-hours prescriptions were not included in the database.ResultsThe number of prescriptions during the study period ranged from 263.6 to 289.6 prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/year. A reduction of 9% in the total number of prescriptions between 2017-2018 was observed. More than half of all prescriptions were for otitis media, followed by pneumonia and skin infections. Amoxicillin accounted for over half of all prescriptions, increasing between 2016 and 2018 by 51.3%. During this period, the prescribing of co-amoxiclav and macrolides decreased by 52.3% and 40.7%, respectively. These changes were significant in all cases, p < 0.0001.ConclusionThe results show an overall decrease in antibiotic prescribing concurrent with a change in the choice of antibiotics prescribed and in line with the recommendations presented in the prescribing guidelines implemented by the Primary Healthcare of the Capital Area, and consistent with the project's goals.Key pointsA substantial proportion of antibiotic prescribing can be considered inappropriate and the antibiotic prescription rate is highest in Iceland of the Nordic countries.After implementing guidance on the treatment of common infections together with feedback on antibiotic prescribing, a decrease in the total number of prescriptions accompanied by a shift in the antibiotic profile was observed.
| S-EPMC8475099 | biostudies-literature