Evidence-Based Practice in the Use of Antibiotics for Respiratory Tract Infections in Primary Health Centers in Kuwait

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of antibiotics in treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary health centers in Kuwait and investigate the extent to which antibiotic use follows international guidelines. Subjects and Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 615 patients selected by using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Of these, 270 patients had URTI and were included in the analysis. Data collection was done by observing the whole process starting from patient presentation and history taking to final diagnosis and treatment by the physicians. Results: Our study showed that about 135 (50%) of the patients with URTIs were given antibiotics, of which only 8 (6%) could be justified according to the NICE guidelines. However, prescriptions for 132 (98%) patients who were not given antibiotics could also be considered as evidencebased. Patients presenting with symptoms such as fever (OR = 2.7; p ! 0.001) and sore throat (OR = 1.9; p ! 0.01) were more likely be given antibiotics than those presenting withReceived: July 9, 2009 Revised: October 22, 2009 Lukman Thalib, PhD Associate Professor in Biostatistics, Department of Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University Kuwait City (Kuwait) Tel. +965 658 8329, Fax +44 709 237 7990, E-Mail lthalib @ hsc.edu.kw © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel 1011–7571/10/0195–0339$26.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/mpp D ow nl oa de d by : 54 .7 0. 40 .1 1 11 /4 /2 01 7 6: 11 :5 2 P M