Observational studyEuropean journal of pediatrics2022
Antibiotic prescribing for children with upper respiratory tract infection: a Finnish nationwide 7-year observational study.
Observational study in European journal of pediatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antibiotic overuse in children with viral infections: lessons from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Applying a gender and equity matrix for a contextualized antimicrobial stewardship intervention in Pakistan.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Caregivers' motivations for using pediatric Tuina for recurrent respiratory tract infections in young children in Southern China: a qualitative study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Contextual analysis of antibiotic prescribing practices for upper respiratory infections and diarrhoea in rural Punjab, Pakistan.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2026Article
- Antibacterial prescribing for acute upper respiratory infections in outpatients in Finland, 2017-2021: a Finnish registry study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Article
- Analysis of antibiotic prescription in upper respiratory tract infections in children 0-4 years of age in primary care. Impact of age and health care setting.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Impact of Antibiotic Exposure on Pediatric Drug Eruption: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Korea.Allergy, asthma & immunology research · 2025Article
- Drug prescribing pattern in upper respiratory tract infections among the pediatric population attending outpatient clinics in pediatric hospitals.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2025Article
- Clinical Safety of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid for the Treatment of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Real World: Protocol for a Prospective, Observational, Registry Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Mechanism of Action and Efficacy of Wu-Hua-Yan-Xiao in the Treatment of Pediatric Acute Pharyngitis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Article
- Homeopathic and Conventional Treatments for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: Real-World Cohort Study on Recurrence and Antibiotic Prescriptions.Complementary medicine research · 2025Article
- The impact of day care attendance on antibiotic use among children aged 0-12 years: A population-based register study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Parental perception of antibiotic use in children at home: a cross-sectional study.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2025Article
- 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
- Primary Healthcare Physicians' Insufficient Knowledge Is Associated with Antibiotic Overprescribing for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effect of Combination of Point-of-Care C-Reactive Protein Testing and General Practitioner Education and Long-Term Effect of Education on Reducing Antibiotic Prescribing for Children Presenting with Acute Infections in General Practice in Latvia: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Antibiotics for Pediatric Patients With Laryngotracheobronchitis in Korea: A Nationwide Study Based on Administrative Data.Journal of Korean medical science · 2024Article
- Exploring the Impact of Antibiotics on Fever Recovery Time and Hospital Stays in Children with Viral Infections: Insights from Advanced Data Analysis.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Changes in the Prescription of Antibiotics and Phytopharmaceuticals in Children Treated for Acute Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Practices in Germany in 2013, 2018, and 2022.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is a self-limiting viral infection and should not be treated with antibiotics. The aim was to evaluate antibiotic prescriptions for children with uncomplicated URTI in a large nationwide private clinic network between 2014 and 2020. Special focus was given to macrolide prescriptions and costs. The data were obtained from the electronic health records (EHR) of the largest private healthcare company in Finland (with about 250,000 paediatric visits annually across the country). The collected variables included diagnoses, age, visit year, speciality of the doctor, and prescribed antibiotics. The number of uncomplicated URTIs in < 18-year-old children was 156,187 (53.0% in boys). The prescription rate of antibiotics decreased from 18.0% in 2014 to 8.8% in 2020, and that of macrolides from 6.1 to 1.7%. The costs decreased accordingly. Paediatricians prescribed antibiotics less often than general practitioners or ear, nose, and throat specialists.
conclusionAntibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated URTIs, especially macrolides, decreased substantially during the 7-year surveillance period; however, 8.8% of children still received unnecessary antibiotics. To further reduce unwarranted antibiotic prescriptions, active interventions are needed that can be performed by applying the available EHR system. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is the most common infection in children. Uncomplicated URTI is a self-limiting viral infection, and antibiotic treatment is not warranted. WHAT IS NEW: • Almost 9% of children with uncomplicated URTIs still received unnecessary antibiotics. Paediatricians prescribed antibiotics less often than general practitioners or ear, nose, and throat specialists. To further reduce unwarranted antibiotic prescriptions, active interventions are needed that can be performed by applying the available EHR system.
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