Trends and patterns in antibiotic prescribing for adult outpatients with acute upper respiratory tract infection in Japan, 2008-2018.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

This study aimed to characterize the patterns and trends in the use of major oral antibiotics prescribed for adult outpatients diagnosed with acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) in Japan between 2008 and 2018.

METHODS:

We analyzed administrative claims data for adults in Japan, between April 2008 and September 2018. The trends in oral antibiotic prescription were illustrated using the prescribing rate, and tested using interrupted time series analysis. We also assessed the factors associated with antibiotic prescription for AURTIs.

RESULTS:

Data on 7.54 million antibiotic prescriptions in 1,937,379 adults with AURTIs were analyzed; people ≥65-years old were scarcely included. The antibiotic prescribing rate declined from 49.9% in 2008 to 39.0% in 2018, and the rate of decrease accelerated after the national action plan on antimicrobial resistance was launched in April 2016. Acute nasopharyngitis was the most common indication. Cephalosporins (35.2%), macrolides (32.2%), fluoroquinolones (24.6%), and penicillins (5.88%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes. Sex, age, type and specialty of the facility, and season affected the likelihood of being prescribed antibiotics. The majority of antibiotics prescribed were broad-spectrum, but use of penicillins showed a higher rate of increase after 2016.

CONCLUSIONS:

The percentage of antibiotic prescriptions for AURTIs decreased significantly after implementing the action plan, indicating that it was effective to some extent. However, since the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics was high, there is scope for improving the prescribing pattern, including the types of antimicrobial agents; this is considered to be a future issue.

• Authors: Lyu Ji, Satomi Yoshida, Koji Kawakami
• Journal: Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy (J Infect Chemother) Vol. 27 Issue 11 Pg. 1584-1590 (Nov 2021) ISSN: 1437-7780 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 34246543 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Drug Prescriptions
• Humans
• Japan (epidemiology)
• Outpatients
• Practice Patterns, Physicians'
• Respiratory Tract Infections (drug therapy)