title: Influence of bacterial resistances on the efficiency of antibiotic treatments for community-acquired pneumonia.
abstract: The objective of this paper is to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the oral antibiotics used in Spain for the ambulatory treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Our analysis takes into account the influence of bacterial resistances on the cost-effectiveness ratio of antibiotic alternatives from the viewpoint of the public insurer. A deterministic decision analysis model is used to simulate the impact of treatment alternatives on both patients' health and resource consumption. Amoxicillin 1 g may be the most efficient therapy for treating typical pneumonia, as long as the physician is able to discriminate clinically the aetiology of the process with a high degree of reliability. However, for those pathological pictures in which the aetiology cannot be discriminated clinically, and for those in which the consequences of incorrect diagnosis are serious according to clinical criteria, moxifloxacin is the most effective and efficient option.
authors.affiliation: Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. ramon.sabes@upf.edu
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabes-Figuera
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Segú
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puig-Junoy
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003663:Decision Trees; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents