Antibiotic use in upper respiratory tract infections in New Zealand.
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are a common reason for presentation to general practitioners. The current study used computerised consultation records of 100,222 patients from 17 general practices in New Zealand for the 12-month period 1 July 1991-30 June 1992. URTIs were noted in 8.9% of all consultations: 44.1% of cases were children aged less than 10 years. Females presented more frequently than males for all ages above five years. Fifteen different antibiotics were prescribed for URTIs, but in 22.5% of cases no antibiotic was prescribed. There was no statistically significant difference in the likelihood of a successful outcome with or without antibiotic therapy (chi 2 = 0.76, P > 0.05). The treatment failure profile of some antibiotics highlights the need for more prescriber education, especially as the range of medications available for general practitioner prescribing increases.
McGregor
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Department of General Practice, Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Dovey
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Tilyard
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents