title: [Antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections and predictive factors for their use].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Happy Audit project is a European-funded survey aimed at reducing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTI). The aim of this study is to investigate the antibiotic treatment administered for these RTIs in Spain and to find out which criteria are associated with its use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study carried out in January and February 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary health care.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practitioners registered all the RTI during a 3-week period using a template.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age and gender, days with symptoms, signs presented (fever, cough, purulent ear discharge, sore throat, tonsillar exudate, swollen neck glands, dyspnoea, increase in sputum, purulent sputum), diagnosis, antibiotic therapy and demand of antibiotics. A logistic regression with the prescription of antibiotic as the dependent variable was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 332 physicians invited to participate, 309 filled in and returned the templates (93.1%), registering 16,751 RTIs, with the common cold (39.7%), pharyngitis (14.4%) and acute bronchitis (12.6%) being the most common. Antibiotic therapy was given to 4,675 RTIs (27.9%), mainly for pneumonia (89.9%), tonsillitis (88.9%), and otitis media (87.3%). The criterion most associated with antibiotic therapy was the presence of tonsillar exudate (OR: 32.1; 95CI%: 24.5-42), followed by ear discharge (25.2; 95%CI: 18.2-35) and purulence of sputum (18.1; 95%CI: 15.5-21.2); conversely, cough (OR: 0.4; 95%CI: 0.3-0.5) was considered as protective factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antibiotic treatment for RTIs is very high in our country. This study provides information on the criteria that predict this antibiotic therapy and is important to take into account if a more rational use of antibiotics is required.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Jaume I, Tarragona, Spain. carles.llor@urv.cat
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Llor
authors.forename: Josep María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cots
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bjerrum
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cid
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Arranz
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Monedero
authors.forename: Juan de Dios
authors.initials: Jde D
authors.lastname: Alcántara
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cigüenza
authors.forename: Vicenta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Burgazzoli
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents