Decrease in antibiotic prescriptions in pediatric primary care driven by reduced volume of visits for respiratory tract infections<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — In pediatric primary care practices, there was a substantial reduction in antibiotic prescribing, beginning in April 2020, which was mainly due to a reduction in prescriptions at visits for respiratory tract infection (RTI), according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Pediatrics<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lauren Dutcher, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted a retrospective observational study to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures on antibiotic prescribing in pediatric primary care practices. Encounters were included from Jan. 1, 2018, through June 30, 2021.<\/p>\n The researchers found that from April to December 2019, there were 69,327 total antibiotic prescriptions compared with 18,935 during the same months in 2020, representing a 72.7 percent reduction. Overall, 87.3 percent of this decrease was due to a reduction in prescriptions at visits for RTI. In April 2020, overall antibiotic prescriptions decreased from 31.6 to 6.4 prescriptions per 1,000 patients. This was followed by a nonsignificant monthly increase in prescriptions, with a rebound in prescribing from April to June 2020. There was also an immediate decrease seen in encounter volume; overall encounter volume recovery started quickly, but RTI encounter volume rebounded more slowly.<\/p>\n “Future studies should examine changes in antibiotic prescribing with relaxation of social distancing and authorization of COVID-19 vaccination for children, as well as the impact on antibiotic resistance and other antibiotic-related adverse effects,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n