Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38261237›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases and therapy2024

Comparative Analysis of Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing in Early Life: A Population-Based Study Across Birth Cohorts in Denmark and Germany.

Oliver Scholle, Lotte Rasmussen, Mette Reilev, Jost Viebrock, Ulrike Haug

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Article in Infectious diseases and therapy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Oliver ScholleDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstrasse 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2633-6587
Lotte RasmussenDepartment of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5962-6647
Mette ReilevDepartment of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1241-4385
Jost ViebrockDepartment of Biometry and Data Management, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2116-3421
Ulrike HaugDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstrasse 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany. haug@leibniz-bips.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1886-2923

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionComparing antibiotic prescribing between countries can provide important insights into potential needs of improving antibiotic stewardship programs. We aimed to compare outpatient antibiotic prescribing in early life between children born in Denmark and Germany.

methodsUsing the Danish nationwide healthcare registries and a German claims database (GePaRD, ~ 20% population coverage), we included children born between 2004 and 2016, and followed them regarding outpatient antibiotic prescriptions until end of enrollment or the end of 2018. We then determined the median time to first antibiotic prescription. Based on all prescriptions in the first 2 years of life, we calculated the rate of antibiotic treatment episodes and for the children's first prescriptions in this period, we determined established quality indicators. All analyses were stratified by birth year and country.

resultsIn the 2016 birth cohorts, the median time to first antibiotic prescription was ~ 21 months in Denmark and ~ 28 in Germany; the rate of antibiotic treatment episodes per 1000 person-years was 537 in Denmark and 433 in Germany; the percentage of prescribed antibiotics with higher concerns regarding side effects and/or resistance potential was 6.2% in Denmark and 44.2% in Germany. In the 2016 birth cohorts, the age at first antibiotic prescription was 50-59% higher compared to the 2004 birth cohorts; the rate of antibiotic treatment episodes was 43-44% lower.

conclusionsInfants in Denmark received antibiotics markedly earlier and more frequently than in Germany, while quality indicators of antibiotic prescribing were more favorable in Denmark. Although both countries experienced positive changes towards more rational antibiotic prescribing in early life, our findings suggest potential for further improvement. This particularly applies to prescribing antibiotics with a lower potential for side effects and/or resistance in Germany.

Indexed as

AntibioticsAntibiotic stewardshipCross-national comparisonDrug utilization researchHealthcare dataPediatrics

Identifiers

PMID38261237
PMCPMC10904695

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