Association between high-intensity antibiotic prescribing and prescribing of psychotropic drugs in children: a population-based study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies among adults have found that physicians who are high antibiotic prescribers are also high prescribers of other medications that are frequently overprescribed or prescribed inappropriately. The extent to which these findings generalise to prescribing for paediatric populations is unknown.

Methods

Population-based cohort study, Ontario, Canada, involving child-physician pairs with ≥1 primary care visit, 2018-2019. We used multivariable, hierarchical logistic regression to determine the association between high-intensity antibiotic prescribing and prescribing of stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics or all three drug classes, adjusting for child characteristics and clustering of child-physician pairs within physicians.

Results

2 531 392 visits we

SUBMITTER: Jorgensen SCJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12911689 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature