Increase in antibiotic prescriptions in out-of-hours primary care in contrast to in-hours primary care prescriptions: service evaluation in a population of 600 000 patients.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and nature of antibiotic prescriptions issued by a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) service and compare time trends in prescriptions between OOH and in-hours primary care.

Methods

We performed a retrospective audit of 496 931 patient contacts with the Oxfordshire OOH primary care service. Comparison of time trends in antibiotic prescriptions from OOH primary care and in-hours primary care for the same population was made using multiple linear regression models fitted to the monthly data for OOH prescriptions, OOH contacts and in-hours prescriptions between September 2010 and August 2014.

Results

Compared with the overall population contacting the OOH service, younger age, female sex and patients who w

SUBMITTER: Hayward GN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4992853 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature