ArticleBMJ open2019
Cross-sectional study of the use of antimicrobials following common infections by rural residents in Anhui, China.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- The vicious cycle of the public's irrational use of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections: A mixed methods systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Factors influencing inappropriate use of antibiotics in outpatient and community settings in China: a mixed-methods systematic review.BMJ global health · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Inventory of Survey Instruments for Monitoring Antimicrobial Use in Primary Care Settings in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- In search of pragmatic measures and models from routinely collected electronic records to inform continuous optimization of antibiotics stewardship at primary care settings: preliminary findings from Anhui, China.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, Motivations, Expectations, and Systemic Factors Regarding Antimicrobial Use Amongst Community Members Seeking Care at the Primary Healthcare Level: A Scoping Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Antibiotic Prescription Patterns for Acute Respiratory Infections in Rural Primary Healthcare Settings in Guangdong, China: Analysis of 162,742 Outpatient Prescriptions.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Antibiotic Prescribing in Outpatient Settings: Rural Patients Are More Likely to Receive Fluoroquinolones and Longer Antibiotic Courses.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Differences in service and antibiotics use following symptomatic respiratory tract infections between 2016 and 2021 in rural Anhui, China.Epidemiology and infection · 2022Article
- Cluster randomised controlled trial to assess a tailored intervention to reduce antibiotic prescribing in rural China: study protocol.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Antimicrobial stewardship in rural and remote primary health care: a narrative review.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2021Review
- Article
- Article
- Health service utilization following symptomatic respiratory tract infections and influencing factors among urban and rural residents in Anhui, China.Primary health care research & development · 2019Article
- Pathways of healthcare and antibiotics use following reported gastrointestinal illness: a cross-sectional study in rural Anhui, China.BMJ open · 2019Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe help seeking behaviour from a medical doctor and antimicrobial use for common infections among rural residents of Anhui province, China.
designA cross-sectional retrospective household survey.
setting12 administrative villages from rural Anhui, China.
participants2760 rural residents selected through cluster-randomised sampling using an interviewer administered questionnaire.
methodLogistic regression models were used to estimate associations between exposures (health insurance and antimicrobial-related knowledge), adjusted for confounders (sex, age and education), and help-seeking behaviour from a medical doctor and antimicrobial use following common infections, including acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), gastrointestinal tract infections (GTIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs).
resultsIn total 2611 (94.6%) rural residents completed the questionnaire. Help seeking from a medical doctor was highest for ARTIs (59.4%) followed by GTIs (42.1%), and UTIs (27.8%). Around two-thirds (82.3% for ARTIs, 87.0% for GTIs and 66.0% for UTIs) of respondents sought help within 3 days following symptom onset and over three quarters (88% for ARTIs, 98% for GTIs and 77% for UTIs) reported complete recovery within 7 days. Of the help-seeking respondents, 94.5% with ARTI symptoms recalled being prescribed either oral or intravenous antimicrobials (GTIs 81.7% and UTIs 70.4%). Use of antimicrobials bought from medicine shops without prescriptions ranged from 8.8% for GTIs to 17.2% for ARTIs; while use of antimicrobials leftover from previous illnesses or given by a relative ranged from 7.6% for UTIs to 13.4% for ARTIs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that respondents with a higher antimicrobial-related knowledge score and lack of insurance were associated with lower levels of help-seeking for ARTIs; while respondents with a higher antimicrobial-related knowledge score were less likely to be prescribed either oral or intravenous antimicrobials.
conclusionsExcessive antimicrobial use in the studied primary care settings is still prevalent.
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