title: [Antibiotic prescription in acute respiratory infections in adults: its variability and appropriateness in 10 Spanish hospitals].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the variability in antibiotic prescribing habits for patients diagnosed of non-specified acute respiratory infections (ARI) (according to the International Classification of Diseases 9MC) at Emergency Departments of ten Spanish hospitals, and to evaluate the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescription for such patients, after specifically elaborating some reference patterns for appropriate antimicrobial use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study of variability in clinical practice by means of a prospective series of cases. Study of appropriateness by means of elaborating reference standards for appropriate use and comparison with the data from the descriptive study with such standards.
  
  
  METHODS
  six months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Emergency Department in ten Spanish hospitals from different autonomic communities: Andalucía, Islas Canarias, Castilla-León, Cataluña, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and Valencia for a 6-month period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with the diagnosis of community ARI attended at emergency departments.
  
  
  METHODS
  903 cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collection of cases in a unified database with the following variables: age, sex, ARI type, diagnosis of comorbidity, prescribed antimicrobial, hospital admission and type of prescriber. A panel of experts was commissioned to elaborate the gold standards for the appropriate use of antibiotics or the lack of indication for the different locations of ARI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The adjusted proportion of the inappropriate prescription for the group with laryngo-tracheal-influenza-rhinopharyngitis-multiple ARI or non specified infections was 67.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concerning antibiotic prescription, significant inter-center variability and relevant heterogeneity were observed.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Medina del Campo, Valladolid.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Inglada Galiana
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eiros Bouza
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ochoa Sangrador
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vallano Ferraz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Armadans Gil
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Vidal Bugallo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Artero Mora
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz Cantero
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cerdá Mota
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lázaro Asensio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez López
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guerra Romero
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents