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. 2009 Dec;31(4):512-20.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdp081. Epub 2009 Sep 4.

Selective decrease in consultations and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections in UK primary care up to 2006

Martin Gulliford  1 , Radoslav Latinovic, Judith Charlton, Paul Little, Tjeerd van Staa, Mark Ashworth
Affiliations

Selective decrease in consultations and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections in UK primary care up to 2006

Martin Gulliford et al. J Public Health (Oxf). 2009 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate trends in primary care consultations and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in the UK from 1997 to 2006.

Methods: Data were analysed for 100,000 subjects registered with 78 family practices in the UK General Practice Research Database; the numbers of consultations for RTI and associated antibiotic prescriptions were enumerated.

Results: The consultation rate for RTI declined in females from 442.2 per 1000 registered patients in 1997 to 330.9 in 2006, and in males from 318.5 to 249.0. The rate of consultations for colds, rhinitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) declined by 4.2 (95% CI 2.3-6.1) per 1000 per year in females and by 3.6 (2.3-4.8) in males. The rate of antibiotic prescribing for RTI was higher in females and declined by 8.5 (2.0-15.1) per 1000 in females and 6.7 (2.7-10.8) in males. For colds, rhinitis and URTI, the proportion of consultations with antibiotics was prescribed declined by 1.7% per year in females and 1.8% in males.

Conclusions: Decreasing frequency of consultation and antibiotic prescription for colds, rhinitis and 'URTI' continues to drive a reduction in the rate of antibiotic utilization for RTIs.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) General practice consultation rates for RTIs per 1000 registered patients per year. (b) Antibiotic prescriptions rate for RTI per 1000 registered patients per year. (c) Per cent of RTI consultations with antibiotic prescribed. (d) All antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 registered patients per year. Filled circles, females; open squares, males. Bars represent 95% CIs. Data were standardized to European Standard Population for reference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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