ArticleBMC infectious diseases2020
Microbiology testing associated with antibiotic dispensing in older community-dwelling adults.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Microbiology testing around the time of antibiotic initiation among residents of long-term care facilities.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2026Article
- Trends in microbiology testing in Australian long-term care facilities: national cohort study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Temporal Trends ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIt is commonly recommended that microbiological assessment should accompany the use of antibiotics prone to resistance. We sought to estimate the rate of microbiology testing and compare this to dispensing of the World Health Organization classified "watch" group antibiotics in primary care.
methodsData from a cohort of older adults (mean age 69 years) were linked to Australian national health insurance (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme & Medicare Benefits Schedule) records of community-based antibiotic dispensing and microbiology testing in 2015. Participant characteristics associated with greater watch group antibiotic dispensing and microbiology testing were estimated using adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial regression models.
resultsIn 2015, among 244,299 participants, there were 63,306 watch group antibiotic prescriptions dispensed and 149,182 microbiology tests conducted; the incidence rate was 0.26 per person-year for watch group antibiotic dispensing and 0.62 for microbiology testing. Of those antibiotic prescriptions, only 19% were accompanied by microbiology testing within - 14 to + 7 days. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors and co-morbidities, individuals with chronic respiratory diseases were more likely to receive watch group antibiotics than those without, e.g. asthma (aIRR:1.59, 95%CI:1.52-1.66) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (aIRR:2.71, 95%CI:2.48-2.95). However, the rate of microbiology testing was not comparably higher among them (with asthma aIRR:1.03, 95%CI:1.00-1.05; with COPD aIRR:1.00, 95%CI:0.94-1.06).
conclusionsPriority antibiotics with high resistance risk are commonly dispensed among community-dwelling older adults. The discord between the rate of microbiology testing and antibiotic dispensing in adults with chronic respiratory diseases suggests the potential for excessive empirical prescribing.
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Registered trials
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