Publication
Title
Quality of antibiotic prescription during office hours and out-of-hours in Flemish primary care, using European quality indicators
Author
Abstract
Background: European disease-specific antibiotic prescribing quality indicators (APQI) were proposed for seven acute indications (bronchitis, upper respiratory infection, cystitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media and pneumonia): (a) the percentage of patients prescribed an antibiotic; (b) the percentage of patients receiving the guideline recommended antibiotic; (c) the percentage of patients receiving quinolones. Objectives: To assess the feasibility of calculating values for these 21 APQI using primary care databases; and to assess the quality of antibiotic prescribing in office hours and out-of-hours general practice. Methods: Data was extracted from a morbidity registration network (http://www.intego.be) and the out-of-hours service centre in Flanders. Within both databases diagnoses are labelled using the revised second edition of International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2-R) and antibiotic prescriptions using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. Results: Both databases allow calculation of APQI values and results are similar. Only for cystitis was the percentage of patients prescribed an antibiotic within the proposed acceptable range. For all indications, the percentage of recommended antibiotics was below the proposed acceptable range (80100%). The percentage of quinolones was within the proposed acceptable range (05%) for otitis media, upper respiratory infection and tonsillitis. Conclusion: Primary care databases can produce APQI values. These values revealed huge opportunities to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing in office hours and out-of-hours Flemish general practice, especially the prescription of recommended antibiotics.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The European journal of general practice. - Amersfoort
Publication
Amersfoort : 2014
ISSN
1381-4788 [print]
1751-1402 [online]
DOI
10.3109/13814788.2013.828200
Volume/pages
20 :2 (2014) , p. 114-120
ISI
000337019000005
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
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Research group
Project info
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Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 15.10.2013
Last edited 09.10.2023
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