Selective decrease in consultations and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections in UK primary care up to 2006.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to estimate trends in primary care consultations and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in the UK from 1997 to 2006.


METHODS
Data were analysed for 100,000 subjects registered with 78 family practices in the UK General Practice Research Database; the numbers of consultations for RTI and associated antibiotic prescriptions were enumerated.


RESULTS
The consultation rate for RTI declined in females from 442.2 per 1000 registered patients in 1997 to 330.9 in 2006, and in males from 318.5 to 249.0. The rate of consultations for colds, rhinitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) declined by 4.2 (95% CI 2.3-6.1) per 1000 per year in females and by 3.6 (2.3-4.8) in males. The rate of antibiotic prescribing for RTI was higher in females and declined by 8.5 (2.0-15.1) per 1000 in females and 6.7 (2.7-10.8) in males. For colds, rhinitis and URTI, the proportion of consultations with antibiotics was prescribed declined by 1.7% per year in females and 1.8% in males.


CONCLUSIONS
Decreasing frequency of consultation and antibiotic prescription for colds, rhinitis and 'URTI' continues to drive a reduction in the rate of antibiotic utilization for RTIs.
Gulliford
Martin
M
Department of Public Health Sciences, King's College London, Capital House, 42 Weston St, London SE1 3QD UK. martin.gulliford@kcl.ac.uk
Latinovic
Radoslav
R
Charlton
Judith
J
Little
Paul
P
van Staa
Tjeerd
T
Ashworth
Mark
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents