Excessive prescription duration is a major contributor of inappropriate antibiotic use in primary care - 16/10/24
, Pascal Thibon a, b, Marianne Delestre a, Élise Fiaux a, François Lebas c, Renaud Verdon b, d, Pierre Tattevin eHighlights |
• | Prescribing for the correct duration may reduce costs and selective pressure. |
• | More than one third of antibiotics (34–39%) were prescribed for excessive durations. |
• | Mean duration of excessive duration was 0.9 to 1.6 days per prescription. |
• | Excessive durations were primarily observed for respiratory, ENT and skin infections. |
• | Annual cost of excessive prescriptions in France was estimated at 151–262 million €. |
Abstract |
Objectives |
In France, 75% of systemic antibiotics are prescribed by general practitioners (GPs) in primary care. We aimed to estimate the burden of inappropriate use related to excessive prescription duration.
Patients and methods |
In 2021, we performed a cross-sectional and pharmaco-economic study of a network of six GPs. The references for optimal durations were those of the French national guidelines for antibiotic prescription.
Results |
Out of 196 antibiotic prescriptions, 33.7 % were of excessive duration, with a mean excess of 0.9 [0.86–0.94] to 1.6 [1.45–1.72] days per prescription. Ear, nose, and throat, respiratory tract, and skin and skin structure infections were the main infections associated with excessive prescription. The pharmaco-economic analysis showed that the cost of excessive prescription duration would range from an estimated 151 to 262 million € in France in 2021.
Conclusion |
Addressing excessive antibiotic prescription duration by GPs may represent a powerful and cost-saving tool in antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Antibiotic stewardship, Primary care, Cost analysis, Antibiotic duration
Plan
Vol 54 - N° 7
Article 104962- octobre 2024 Retour au numéro
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