ArticleBMC infectious diseases2016
Reduction in antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in Swedish primary care- a retrospective study of electronic patient records.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Different antibiotic treatments for group A streptococcal pharyngitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Acute sore throat andBMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of acute otitis media clinical practice guidelines on antibiotic and analgesic prescriptions: a systematic review.Archives of disease in childhood · 2018Pooled it
- Clinical course of pharyngotonsillitis with group A streptococcus treated with different penicillin V strategies, divided in groups of Centor Score 3 and 4: a prospective study in primary care.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Trial
- Penicillin V four times daily for five days versus three times daily for 10 days in patients with pharyngotonsillitis caused by group A streptococci: randomised controlled, open label, non-inferiority study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2019Trial
- Diagnostic accuracy of otitis media with and without a fictitious AI support among physicians in primary care and medical students.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Incidence of skin and soft tissue infections in general practice and out-of-hours services in Norway 2006-2022.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Understaffing and overprescribing: a register study on the role of locum physicians in antibiotic prescribing patterns in primary care in Northern Sweden.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Clinical indications for antibiotic prescribing in Danish general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Use of point-of-care tests in pharyngotonsillitis - a registry-based study in primary health care.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Antibiotic prescriptions associated with a diagnosis of acute nasopharyngitis by general GPs in France: a retrospective study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Antibiotic Prescribing Decisions for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections Among Primary Healthcare Physicians in China: A Mixed-Methods Approach Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Proteomic Characterization of Plasma in Lemierre's Syndrome.Thrombosis and haemostasis · 2024Article
- The use and usefulness of point-of-care tests in patients with pharyngotonsillitis - an observational study in primary health care.BMC primary care · 2024Observational
- Appropriate use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections at primary healthcare facilities in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study from 2017 to 2019.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2023Article
- Antibiotic treatment of respiratory tract infections in adults in Norwegian general practice.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2023Article
- Impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on healthcare utilization and direct costs for otitis media in children ≤2 years of age in two Swedish regions.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2022Article
- Prescribed medicine use and extent of off-label use according to age in a nationwide sample of Australian children.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2022Article
- Socio-economic disparities in the dispensation of antibiotics in Sweden 2016-2017: An intersectional analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy.Scandinavian journal of public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSwedish studies on antibiotic use in primary care have been based on one-week registrations of infections. In order to study adherence to guidelines, analyses based on large databases that provide information on diagnosis linked prescriptions, are needed. This study describes trends in management of infections in Swedish primary care particularly with regards to antibiotic prescribing and adherence to national guidelines.
methodsA descriptive study of Sweden's largest database regarding diagnosis linked antibiotic prescription data, the Primary care Record of Infections in Sweden (PRIS), for the years 2008, 2010 and 2013.
resultsAlthough the consultation rate for all infections remained around 30% each year, antibiotic prescribing rates decreased significantly over the years from 53.7% in 2008, to 45.5% in 2010, to 38.6% in 2013 (p = .032). The antibiotic prescribing rate for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) decreased from 40.5% in 2008 to 24.9% in 2013 while those for urinary tract infections and skin and soft tissue infections were unchanged. For most RTI diagnoses there was a decrease in prescription rate from 2008 to 2013, particularly for the age group 0-6 years. Phenoxymethylpenicillin (PcV) was the antibiotic most often prescribed, followed by tetracycline. Tonsillitis and acute otitis media were the two RTI diagnoses with the highest number of prescriptions per 1000 patient years (PY). For these diagnoses an increase in adherence to national guidelines was seen, with regards to treatment frequency, choice of antibiotics and use of rapid antigen detection test. The frequency in antibiotic prescribing varied greatly between different Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCCs).
conclusionFalling numbers of consultations and decreased antibiotic prescription rates for RTIs have reduced the antibiotic use in Swedish primary care substantially. Overprescribing of antibiotics could still be suspected due to large variability in prescribing frequency, especially for acute bronchitis and sinusitis. Continuous evaluation of diagnosis linked prescribing data and feedback to doctors is essential in order to achieve a more prudent antibiotic use.
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