Antibiotic dispensing during the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of Welsh primary care dispensing data.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid changes in demand and delivery of primary care services that could have led to increases in antibiotic prescribing.

Objective

We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral antibiotic dispensing rates in primary care in Wales using longitudinal analysis of monthly oral antibiotic dispensing data from 1 April 2018 to 30 April 2021.

Methods

We used All-Wales primary care dispensing data. We examined trends in oral antibiotic dispensing per 1,000 people for Wales and for individual Health Boards. We used interrupted time series analysis to estimate changes in trends pre- and post-April 2020 to assess the impact of the first and subsequent lockdowns.

Results

Between April 2020 and April 2021, antibiotic dis

SUBMITTER: Wasag DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8822399 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature