Reducing antibiotic prescribing in primary care in England from 2014 to 2017: population-based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To analyse individual-patient electronic health records to evaluate changes in antibiotic (AB) prescribing in England for different age groups, for male and female subjects, and by prescribing indications from 2014 to 2017.

Methods

Data were analysed for 102 general practices in England that contributed data to the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) from 2014 to 2017. Prescriptions for all ABs and for broad-spectrum β-lactam ABs were evaluated. Relative rate reductions (RRR) were estimated from a random-effects Poisson model, adjusting for age, gender, and general practice.

Results

Total AB prescribing declined from 608 prescriptions per 1000 person-years in 2014 to 489 per 1000 person-years in 2017; RRR 6.9% (95% CI 6.6% to 7.1%) per year. Broad-

SUBMITTER: Sun X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6661619 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature