Consecutive antibiotic use in the outpatient setting: an extensive, longitudinal descriptive analysis of antibiotic dispensing data in the Netherlands

Abstract Introduction Taking consecutive antibiotic use into account is of importance to obtain insight in treatment within disease episodes, use of 2nd- and 3rd-choice antibiotics, therapy failure and/or side effects. Nevertheless, studies dealing with consecutive antibiotic use are scarce. We aimed at evaluating switch patterns in antibiotic use in the outpatient setting in the Netherlands. Methods Outpatient antibiotic dispensing data was processed to antibiotic treatment episodes consisting of single prescriptions or consecutive prescriptions (2006 to 2014). Consecutive prescriptions were... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Loek A. W. de Jong
Paul D. van der Linden
Monique M. B. Roukens
Ewoudt M. W. van de Garde
Alike W. van der Velden
Stephanie Natsch
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
Reihe/Periodikum: BMC Infectious Diseases, Vol 19, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2019)
Verlag/Hrsg.: BMC
Schlagwörter: Antibacterials / Antibiotic prescription / Antibiotic usage / Antibiotics / Consecutive antibiotic use / Outpatient setting / Infectious and parasitic diseases / RC109-216
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29168735
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-3732-x

Abstract Introduction Taking consecutive antibiotic use into account is of importance to obtain insight in treatment within disease episodes, use of 2nd- and 3rd-choice antibiotics, therapy failure and/or side effects. Nevertheless, studies dealing with consecutive antibiotic use are scarce. We aimed at evaluating switch patterns in antibiotic use in the outpatient setting in the Netherlands. Methods Outpatient antibiotic dispensing data was processed to antibiotic treatment episodes consisting of single prescriptions or consecutive prescriptions (2006 to 2014). Consecutive prescriptions were categorised into prolongations and switches. Switches were further analysed to obtain antibiotic switch percentages and trends over time. Outcomes were compared with recommendations of Dutch guidelines. Results A total of 43,179,867 antibiotic prescriptions were included in the analysis, consisting of single prescriptions (95%), prolongations (2%) and switches (3%). The highest switch percentages were found for trimethoprim (7.6%) and nitrofurantoin (5.4%). For fosfomycin, ciprofloxacin, flucloxacillin and trimethoprim we found the highest yearly increase in switching. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was most often used as second antibiotic in a switch. A surprisingly high number of 2nd- and 3rd-choice antibiotics are prescribed as first antibiotic in a treatment. Conclusions Although the actual reason for a switch is unknown, switch patterns can reveal problems concerning treatment failure and guideline adherence. In general, switch percentages of antibiotics in the Netherlands are low. The data contributes to the knowledge regarding antibiotic switch patterns in the outpatient setting.