• Family practice · Jun 2024

    Temporal patterns of antibiotic prescribing for sore throat, otitis media, and sinusitis: a longitudinal study of general practitioner registrars.

    • Alexandria Turner, Mieke L van Driel, Benjamin L Mitchell, Joshua S Davis, Alison Fielding, Andrew Davey, Elizabeth Holliday, Jean Ball, Anna Ralston, Amanda Tapley, Katie Mulquiney, Emma J Baillie, Neil Spike, Lisa Clarke, and Parker Magin.
    • Faculty of Medicine, General Practice Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
    • Fam Pract. 2024 Jun 12; 41 (3): 283291283-291.

    BackgroundAntibiotics provide minimal benefit for sore throat, otitis media, and sinusitis. Antibiotic stewardship, with reduced prescribing, is required to address antibiotic resistance. As most antibiotic prescribing occurs in general practice and prescribing habits develop early, general practitioner (GP) trainees (registrars) are important for effective antibiotic stewardship.ObjectivesTo establish temporal trends in Australian registrars' antibiotic prescribing for acute sore throat, acute otitis media, and acute sinusitis.DesignA longitudinal analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study from 2010 to 2019.ParticipantsReCEnT is an ongoing cohort study of registrars' in-consultation experiences and clinical behaviours. Pre-2016, 5 of 17 Australian training regions participated. From 2016, 3 of 9 regions (42% of Australian registrars) participate.Main MeasuresThe outcome was prescription of an antibiotic for a new acute problem/diagnosis of sore throat, otitis media, or sinusitis. The study factor was year (2010-2019).Key ResultsAntibiotics were prescribed in 66% of sore throat diagnoses, 81% of otitis media, and in 72% of sinusitis. Prescribing frequencies decreased between 2010 and 2019 by 16% for sore throat (from 76% to 60%) by 11% for otitis media (from 88% to 77%) and by 18% for sinusitis (from 84% to 66%). In multivariable analyses, "Year" was associated with reduced prescribing for sore throat (OR 0.89; 95%CI 0.86-0.92; p < 0.001), otitis media (OR 0.90; 95%CI 0.86-0.94; p < 0.001), and sinusitis (OR 0.90; 95%CI 0.86, 0.94; p < 0.001).ConclusionsRegistrars' prescribing rates for sore throat, otitis media, and sinusitis significantly decreased during the period 2010-2019. However, educational (and other) interventions to further reduce prescribing are warranted.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.

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