Yelena Sahakian, Rubeena Anjum and Ateequr Rahman
Objective: The aim of this research was to study the prescribing trends of antibiotics for adherence to the guidelines issued by the American Academy of Paediatrics by utilizing the National Ambulatory Medical Survey (NAMCS) 2016 database.
Methods: This was a retrospective, secondary database analysis research exploring the antibiotic prescribing patterns for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) in infants and children aged 2 to 24 months for the year of 2016 using National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data. This database was based on a sample of visits to non-federally employed office-based physicians who are engaged in direct patient care and community health centers. Patient sex, race, as well as the source of payment, and the provider type were among the demographic variables studied for adherence to the guidelines.
Results: The total number of ambulatory care visits was 316. Of those, 144 (45.6%) patient were prescribed inappropriate antibiotics. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants (48), general/family practitioners (31) and internists (28) were responsible for the majority of inappropriate prescriptions. African American patients (79) received inappropriate prescriptions in most of the cases.
Conclusion: Antibiotic resistance is a public health problem of increasing magnitude, and finding effective solutions to address this problem is critical. Antibiotic resistance is also an economic burden on healthcare. Adherence to guidelines minimizes antibiotic resistance and promotes patients and public health.
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