Factors associated with antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute respiratory tract complaints in Malta: a 1-year repeated cross-sectional surveillance study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To identify factors that influence general practitioners' (GPs') oral antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract complaints (aRTCs) in Malta.

Design

Repeated, cross-sectional surveillance.

Setting

Maltese general practice; both public health centres and private GP clinics.

Participants

30 GPs registered on the Malta Medical Council's Specialist Register and 3 GP trainees registered data of 4831 patients of all ages suffering from any aRTC. Data were collected monthly between May 2015 and April 2016 during predetermined 1-week periods.

Outcome measures

The outcome of interest was antibiotic prescription (yes/no), defined as an oral antibiotic prescription issued for an aRTC during an in-person consultation, irrespective of the number of

SUBMITTER: Saliba-Gustafsson EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6937012 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature