title: A regional analysis of outpatient antibiotic prescribing in Germany in 2010.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the previously reported regional variation in outpatient antimicrobial use density in Germany has persisted or changed over time and has been similar for both children and adults. Antibiotic [at least 1 Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Code 'J01' drug] prescription prevalence data for the year 2010 were analysed for 17 regions. The overall age-standardized antibiotic prescription prevalence ranged between 25.0 and 36.6% in the different regions. Regional prescription patterns for children differed from those seen in adults. Age-specific differences in antibiotic prescription prevalence need to be considered when comparing antibiotic consumption between regions.
authors: 1 Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), German Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Jobst
authors: J
authors: Augustin
authors: 2 National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Staff Unit for Strategic Analyses and IT-Consulting, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Mangiapane
authors: 3 Center for Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, University of Freiburg-Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany winfried.kern@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors: Winfried V
authors: WV
authors: Kern
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D062306:Geography, Medical; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents