Observational studyThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2019
Antibiotic prescribing for common infections in UK general practice: variability and drivers.
Observational study in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Factors contributing to the variation in antibiotic prescribing among primary health care physicians: a systematic review.BMC primary care · 2024Pooled it
- The impact of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination on antibiotic use: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of vaccination on the use of antimicrobial agents: a systematic literature review.Annals of medicine · 2020Pooled it
- The integration of the British Pharmacological Society's prescription safety assessment into the WHO 6-step model of rational pharmacotherapy in a Turkish medical school.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Antibiotic prescribing in people with and without diabetes: a population-based matched cohort study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Article
- Comparison of antibiotic prescription indexes by patient and physician gender and age: a cross-sectional study based on administrative data.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Implications for methenamine hippurate use in recurrent urinary tract infection management: Formaldehyde resistance and altered urinary composition.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Antibacterial prescribing for acute upper respiratory infections in outpatients in Finland, 2017-2021: a Finnish registry study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Article
- A national pilot community pharmacy-led urinary tract infection service: clinical and patient-reported outcomes from 9077 consultations.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2026Article
- Smoking history is not independently associated with broad-spectrum antibiotic use in two nationally representative cohorts of adult men in South Korea.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Antibiotic Use in the Community in Spain: A National Surveillance System Within the Framework of the Spanish Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Adherence to NICE Guidelines and Centor Criteria in Acute Sore Throat Management: An Audit Cycle.Cureus · 2025Article
- GP or ChatGPT? Ability of large language models (LLMs) to support general practitioners when prescribing antibiotics.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Article
- Health and Psychological Predictors of Antibiotic Use in Infancy and Fathers' Role.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Antibiotic prescribing intensity and community UTI resistance: a cross-sectional ecological study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Observational study of antibiotic prescribing patterns by age and sex in primary care in England: why we need to take this variation into account to evaluate antibiotic stewardship and predict AMR variation.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of upper respiratory infections and otitis media, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Factors associated with antibiotic use in children hospitalized for acute viral gastroenteritis and the relation to rotavirus vaccination.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2024Article
- 'Male cystitis does not exist': A qualitative study of general practitioners' experiences and management of male urinary tract infections in France.The European journal of general practice · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo examine variations across general practices and factors associated with antibiotic prescribing for common infections in UK primary care to identify potential targets for improvement and optimization of prescribing.
methodsOral antibiotic prescribing for common infections was analysed using anonymized UK primary care electronic health records between 2000 and 2015 using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The rate of prescribing for each condition was observed over time and mean change points were compared with national guideline updates. Any correlation between the rate of prescribing for each infectious condition was estimated within a practice. Predictors of prescribing were estimated using logistic regression in a matched patient cohort (1:1 by age, sex and calendar time).
resultsOver 8 million patient records were examined in 587 UK general practices. Practices varied considerably in their propensity to prescribe antibiotics and this variance increased over time. Change points in prescribing did not reflect updates to national guidelines. Prescribing levels within practices were not consistent for different infectious conditions. A history of antibiotic use significantly increased the risk of receiving a subsequent antibiotic (by 22%-48% for patients with three or more antibiotic prescriptions in the past 12 months), as did higher BMI, history of smoking and flu vaccinations. Other drivers for receiving an antibiotic varied considerably for each condition.
conclusionsLarge variability in antibiotic prescribing between practices and within practices was observed. Prescribing guidelines alone do not positively influence a change in prescribing, suggesting more targeted interventions are required to optimize antibiotic prescribing in the UK.
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