title: Ambulatory antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis and cough and hospital admissions for respiratory infections: time trends analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between ambulatory antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis and cough with hospital admissions for respiratory infections in the USA between 1996 and 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of data on antibiotic prescribing for episodes of acute bronchitis/cough illness in ambulatory care and hospitalization for respiratory infections for adults between 1996 and 2003 in the USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  USA: ambulatory prescribing behaviour was derived from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey while hospitalizations in acute care hospitals were assessed in the National Hospital Discharge Survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults 18-64 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proportion of visits for acute bronchitis/cough receiving a prescription for antibiotics and hospitalization for respiratory infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ambulatory antibiotic prescribing practices for acute bronchitis/cough and hospitalizations for respiratory infections exhibited non-linear patterns over the 8 year period. However, antibiotic prescribing practices for acute bronchitis/cough and hospitalizations for respiratory infections had a weak/moderate negative association. For three of the seven yearly changes in prescribing and hospitalizations as one increased the other decreased (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ambulatory antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections was inversely associated with hospital admissions for respiratory tract infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Arch G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mainous
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hueston
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.forename: Azeem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majeed
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003371:Cough / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents