title: Antibiotic drug prescription in respiratory tract infections: a pharmacoepidemiological survey among general practitioners in a region of Italy.
abstract: Data concerning patients undergoing antibiotic treatment for upper (URTI) or lower (LRTI) respiratory tract infections were collected from 23 General Practitioners (GPs) in the Campania Region of Italy from November 15, 1997 to March 15, 1998. The objectives of the study were: a) to assess the occurrence of URTIs and LRTIs; b) to document the factors that influence GPs' choice of therapy; c) to correlate antibiotic choice with duration and outcome of treatment; d) to assess the incidence of unwanted effects. 2198 questionnaires were collected. Patients were +/-43.9 of age. URTIs were diagnosed in 65.4% and 34.6% LRTIs. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 4.5 days in URTIs and 5.6 days in LRTIs. The choice of antibiotic treatment was influenced by clinical assessment of infections (67.1%). The most commonly used antibiotic categories in URTIs were macrolides (39.3%), penicillins (27.4%) and cephalosporins (23.8%) whereas for LRTIs mainly cephalosporins (63.8%), penicillins (9.2%) and fluoroquinolones (7.4%) were used. Adverse events were experienced by 3.9% of patients.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology Center, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2nd University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mazzeo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangrella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Falcone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Motola
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loffreda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Scafuro
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Filippelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017891:Pharmacoepidemiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents