The decision-making process in antibacterial treatment of pediatric upper respiratory infections: a national prospective office-based observational study

Boccazzi, A; Noviello, Silvana; Tonelli, P.; Coi, Paola; Calcinai, Elena; Esposito, Silvano; Carnelli, V.

doi:10.1016/s1201-9712(02)90069-x

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…22 While URTIs had the lowest antibiotic prescription rate of the four RTIs in our study, they have the highest rate of OTC medications advised. Although physicians, researchers and paediatricians agree that common cold treatments and remedies do not reduce illness duration and offer little benefit, 23 GPs might still advise OTC medications (rather than prescribe antibiotics) to address some parents' expectations that medication will cure the common cold.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Possible reasons for this include the technical difficulty of pathogen identification in RTIs; the invasive nature of throat swabs in young children; the cost; and the likelihood that management would not be altered by the microbiological results, which are often delayed. 22,24,25 There were differences in the management of paediatric RTIs by GP age and sex; male GPs prescribed medication (antibiotics and non-antibiotics) for URTI significantly more frequently than female GPs, and were less likely to provide counselling and education for bronchitis than female GPs. Older GPs prescribed antibiotics for URTI more frequently, but were less likely to provide counselling/advice/education for URTI than younger GPs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Respiratory tract infections among children younger than 5 years: current management in Australian general practice

Biezen

Pollack

Harrison

et al. 2015

Medical Journal of Australia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To explore the current management in Australian general practice of common respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children younger than 5 years.Design, setting and participants: Analysis of data from a sample of 4522 general practitioners who participated in the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) cross-sectional survey, April 2007 to March 2012. Consultations with children younger than 5 years were analysed.Main outcome measures: GPs' management of four common RTIs (acute upper RTI [URTI], acute bronchitis/bronchiolitis, acute tonsillitis, and pneumonia) in association with six management options: antibiotic medications; prescribed or supplied non-antibiotic medications; medications advised for over-the-counter purchase; referrals; pathology testing; and counselling.Results: Of 31 295 encounters recorded, at least one of the four selected paediatric RTIs was managed at 8157 encounters. URTI was managed 18.6 times per 100 GP patient encounters, bronchitis/bronchiolitis 4.2 times, acute tonsillitis 2.7 times, and pneumonia 0.6 times per 100 encounters. Antibiotics were prescribed most frequently for tonsillitis and least frequently for URTI. Male GPs prescribed antibiotics for URTI significantly more often than female GPs, while older GPs prescribed antibiotics for URTI more often than younger GPs.Conclusion: GP management of paediatric RTIs in Australia varied according to the clinical problem and with age and sex of the GP. Further research into parents' and health professionals' attitudes and practices regarding the role of antibiotics, over-the-counter medications, and hygiene will help maintain favourable management practices.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory tract infections among children younger than 5 years: current management in Australian general practice

Biezen

Pollack

Harrison

et al. 2015

Medical Journal of Australia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding is high compared to previously reported work, where penicillins were used in 32.4% and 34.3% of cases. 25 , 26 The high rate of penicillin prescribing could be related to the low cost, fewer side effects, proven effectiveness, safety, and the broad availability of the medication. 27 , 28 Physicians may also be influenced by studies recommending penicillins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This finding is in line with other studies showing that the rate of prescribed medicines, apart from penicillins, was more than 50%. 25 , 26 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic prescribing patterns for sore throat infections in a university-based primary care clinic

Ayrancı

Akgün

Ünlüoğlu

et al. 2005

Annals of Saudi Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUNDRecent studies reveal that a high percentage (over 50%) of episodes for URTIs are treated with antibiotics, regardless of appropriateness or the necessity for prescription. We identified antibiotic prescriptions in a primary health care centre (PHC) and evaluated their suitability for sore throat infections. We also to explored whether symptoms, signs, diagnosis and antibiotics prescribed differed by gender.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe collected data on all patients visiting the centre over a period of 12 weeks with a main complaint of sore throat who were prescribed antibiotics after taking a blood count and throat culture. Patients older than 16 years of age were included in the study irrespective of sex, nationality, marital status, occupation or location of residence. The chi square (χ2) statistical test was used in comparing categorical variables. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant.RESULTSDuring the period of study, 579 patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) presented to the health centre, from which 339 patients with a sore throat were enrolled. Of the study group, 48.7% (165) were male and 51.3% (174) female, with the majority of patients being under 30 years old (54.3%). Throat cultures were positive in 56 patients (16.5%). Most of patients were diagnosed as having pharyngitis (22.7%), and the most frequently prescribed medicine was an oral penicillin (39.1%). Two hundred eight-six patients (84.4%) had 2 or fewer Centor criteria.CONCLUSIONSThroat cultures were positive in only 16.5% of the patients prescribed antibiotics. This indicates that physicians in the health centre of the university are prescribing antibiotics inappropriately and inconsistently. This also highlights the need for more prescriber education, especially as the range of medications available to the general practitioner for prescribing increases.

show abstract

“…Several drug utilisation studies evaluated antibiotic drug prescriptions to outpatient Italian children and adolescents, but most of these studies cannot be compared because of differences in age range, observation period or admission criteria [5,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Therefore, in order to evaluate paediatric prescription differences in Italy, a multiregional study was carried out, using a shared protocol for data extraction and analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The regional profile of antibiotic prescriptions in Italian outpatient children

Piovani

Clavenna

Cartabia

et al. 2012

Eur J Clin Pharmacol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The decision-making process in antibacterial treatment of pediatric upper respiratory infections: a national prospective office-based observational study

Abstract: The results indicate that more active education is still needed to improve the decision-making processes of office-based pediatricians.

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

Respiratory tract infections among children younger than 5 years: current management in Australian general practice

Respiratory tract infections among children younger than 5 years: current management in Australian general practice

Antibiotic prescribing patterns for sore throat infections in a university-based primary care clinic

The regional profile of antibiotic prescriptions in Italian outpatient children

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About