BACKGROUND Antibiotic resistance is a rising problem in Malaysia. For instance, high antibiotic prescribing rate for upper respiratory tract infection and inappropriate choice of antibiotic is a significant healthcare concern in Malaysia. Our main objective was to study knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotic prescribing among medical officers in Kedah, Malaysia. METHODS A cross sectio...

Antibiotics have been recommended either as an extended treatment for several days or as a single antibiotic prophylaxis dose since the development of dental implant osseointegration technique in the 1970s. It is also performed as part of surgical protocol during the peri-operative phase in the treatment of peri-implantitis. To date, there is a lack of scientific evidence regarding the additive...

The objectives of this study were to assess the determinants of empirical antibiotic choice, prescription patterns and outcomes in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)/ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in Europe. We performed a prospective, observational cohort study in 27 intensive care units (ICUs) from nine European countries. 100 consecutive patients on mechanical ventilation...

INTRODUCTION Antibiotic use and misuse are linked to pathogen resistance and, as such, both constitute a public health issue with local, national, and global dimensions. Early studies have shown striking variations in the use of these drugs between Nordic and Mediterranean countries. The aim of the present study was to describe and compare antibiotic prescribing in Primary Care in Denmark and A...

INTRODUCTION Evidence-based reviews and guidelines recommend lowering antibiotic prescription rates for acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). OBJECTIVE To determine the number of patients presenting with uncomplicated ARIs at the walk-in emergency department (ED) of a rural community health centre and to determine the antibiotic prescription rate for each type of ARI. METHODS A one-yea...

The study was designed to compare antibiotic use, cost and consumption before and after an initiation of an antibiotic-restriction policy in our hospital. The policy was applied in 2003, and the prescription of two groups of antibiotics (intravenously used and expensive antibiotics) was restricted. A prescription for the restricted antibiotics could be obtained with approval by an infectious di...

BACKGROUND Quality improvement investigators working in field settings, who typically are not trained in epidemiological methods, may not consider all three elements of the epidemiologic triad (person, place and time) when planning their projects. AIM To demonstrate how the epidemiological triad can guide analysis for quality assessment. Predictors of antibiotic use in primary care were analy...

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an increasing threat to the effectiveness of antibiotics. The majority of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care settings for upper respiratory tract infections. The purpose of this study was to describe seasonal trends in outpatient antibiotic prescriptions (Rx) in the United States over a 5-year period. This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional obse...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between socioeconomic deprivation and antibiotic prescribing in Scotland. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data for dispensed antibiotic prescriptions written by general practitioners were obtained for all Scottish National Health Service boards from 2010 to 2012. Deprivation was assessed linking dispensing events to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) ...

BACKGROUND Evidence-based guidelines for antibiotic use are well established, but nonadherence to these guidelines continues. This study was undertaken to determine child, household and physician factors predictive of nonadherence to evidence-based antibiotic prescribing in children. METHODS The prescription and health care records of 20 000 Manitoba children were assessed for 2 criteria of n...