Study of prescription‐indication of tetracyclines in a population in Colombia

Abstract

The inappropriate use of antibiotics is associated with increased antimicrobial resistance, adverse reactions, medical care costs, and worse clinical outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the prescription patterns and approved and unapproved indications for tetracyclines in a group of patients in Colombia. This was a cross-sectional study, based on a database of medication dispensing of approximately 8.5 million people affiliated with the Colombian Health System, of the indications for the use of tetracyclines in outpatients. Sociodemographic, pharmacological, and comorbidity variables were considered. A total of 20 699 patients with a prescription of tetracyclines were identified, with a median age of 26.1 years; 65.0% were women. The most prescribed tetracycline was doxycycline (95.1%), especially for the treatment of acne (55.3%). A total of 23.5% of the prescriptions was used for unapproved indications, for example, vaginitisvulvitis-vulvovaginitis (8.1%). Increasing age, prescriptions of doxycycline made by general physician, and woman attended by general physician were associated with a greater probability that a tetracycline was used for unapproved indications. Residing in Bogota-Cundinamarca Region and woman that residing in Bogota-Cundinamarca reduced this risk. A high proportion of patients received tetracyclines for dermatological conditions, with a lower proportion of use for gynecological and respiratory infections. For approximately one quarter of the cases, tetracyclines were prescribed for indications not approved by regulatory agencies, especially in those over 18 years and when the prescriptions of doxycycline was made by a general practitioners.

Prescription Patterns of Drugs Given to Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Colombia

“…Several factors can influence the differences in drug use patterns, such as medical decisions, which are affected by demographic, cultural, and economic aspects, as well as the academic training of the doctor. In addition, the differences between countries may reflect the availability or absence of the drug, its costs, the approved indications, the characteristics of the patients, the health system itself, the local management guidelines, and the influence of the media [45,46]. Some limitations should be considered when interpreting our results.…”

Indication-prescription study for the management of conjunctivitis in a Colombian population

“…For example, the use of polymyxin B with trimethoprim predominated in the USA (53.4%) [15], whereas it was prescribed with fusidic acid in the Netherlands (69.0%) [17], levofloxacin in China (71.8%) [21], chloramphenicol in Australia (50.8%) [16], moxifloxacin in India (52.0-53.5%) [23,24] and tobramycin in Spain (66.1%) [22] and Belgium (23.4%) [7]. The differences in drug prescription patterns have been shown in other pharmacoepidemiological studies in the country, but in different clinical contexts [25][26][27]. These variations can be explained by the epidemiological heterogeneity among countries in terms of the etiology and resistance patterns of microorganisms, the characteristics of health systems, the accessibility and availability of drugs and the marketing strategies of the pharmaceutical industry [25,26].…”

“…The differences in drug prescription patterns have been shown in other pharmacoepidemiological studies in the country, but in different clinical contexts [25][26][27]. These variations can be explained by the epidemiological heterogeneity among countries in terms of the etiology and resistance patterns of microorganisms, the characteristics of health systems, the accessibility and availability of drugs and the marketing strategies of the pharmaceutical industry [25,26].…”

Indication-prescription study for the management of conjunctivitis in a Colombian population

“…[18], chloramphenicol in Australia (50.8%) [13], moxi oxacin in India (52.0-53.5%) [20,21] and tobramycin in Spain (66.1%) [19] and Belgium (23.4%) [7]. The differences in drug prescription patterns have been shown in other pharmacoepidemiological studies in the country, but in different clinical contexts [22][23][24].…”

“…These variations can be explained by the epidemiological heterogeneity among countries in terms of the etiology and resistance patterns of microorganisms, the characteristics of health systems, the accessibility and availability of drugs and the marketing strategies of the pharmaceutical industry [22,23].…”