A safety-net antibiotic prescription for otitis media: the effects of a PBRN study on patients and practitioners.
Pediatricians can decrease antibiotic use by treating acute otitis media (AOM) with a safety-net antibiotic prescription (SNAP). This study assessed whether the practitioners of the Practice-Based Research Network who participated in the study continued to use the SNAP and report a 60-day follow-up of the study patients. Charts were reviewed of study patients for 60 days following study enrollment. A survey on antibiotic use for AOM was mailed to the 17 study practitioners (SP) and 30 randomly selected community pediatricians (CP). Eight of the SP used the SNAP more than 20 times over the year following the study vs 1 of the CP. Sixty-two percent of patients never received antibiotics. The recurrence/relapse rate was greater in children younger than 2 years old compared to those older, 34% vs 10%. Practitioners who participate in a Practice-Based Research Network study are more likely to use a study intervention than others.
Siegel
Robert M
RM
Cincinnati Pediatric Research Group, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio 45229, USA.
Bien
James
J
Lichtenstein
Philip
P
Davis
James
J
Khoury
Jane C
JC
Knight
Jamie E
JE
Kiely
Michele
M
Bernier
Jeralyn
J
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000639:trends; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents