[Antibiotics prescription in ambulatory patient].
OBJECTIVE
To find what antibiotics are prescibed for common infections in adult and paediatric primary care patients.


METHODS
Drug utilization (DU) study: cross-sectional and observational design.


METHODS
Primary care centres and hospital casualty departments in Bages and Berguedà counties (total population: 198 129 inhabitants).


METHODS
Adults and children with acute respiratory infection, acute otitis media, acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, or acute bronchitis and flu syndrome; adults only with acute sinusitis, attacks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or urinary infections.


RESULTS
1596 episodes from November 1999 to February 2000 were collected. 975 (61%) of these were in adults, and 621 (3996) in children. Of the infections of mainly viral aetilogy, those most commonly treated with antibiotics were acute Bronchitis, in both adults (76.096 [95% CI, 67.6%-84.2%]) and children (60296 [95% CI, 50.0%-70.5%]). The most common antibiotics were: amoxycillin/clavulanic acid for otitis (34%), sinusitis (37%) and tonsillitis (44%) in adults macrolides in attacks of COPD (4096) and tonsillitis (33%) in children; quinolones for urinary infections (56%), and cefalor for otitis in children (2096).


CONCLUSIONS
Local policy measures need to be taken to improve use of antibiotics for primary care patients. DU studies are extremely useful, as their description of the pattern of prescription enables concrete problems to be detected.
Alvarez Carrera
A
A
Dirección de Atención Primaria (DAP) Bages-Berguedà-Solsonès. Institut Català de la Salut. España. asun.alvarez@manresa.scs.es
Martínez Cantarero
C
C
Vidal Oliveras
A
A
Saavedra Vílchez
M D
MD
Iglesias Niubo
A
A
Forga Visa
X
X
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000639:trends*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends; D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013030:Spain
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents