JAC Advance Access originally published online on January 6, 2003
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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2003) 51, 379-384
© 2003 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Laboratory antibiotic susceptibility reporting and antibiotic prescribing in general practice
1 Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF14 4XW; 2 Public Health Laboratory, Gloucester; 3 Statistics Department, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London; 4 NHS Executive South West, Department of Health, Bristol, UK
Received 25 June 2002, returned 26 August 2002, revised 9 October 2002; accepted 9 October 2002
This study set out to investigate whether there was an association between antibiotic susceptibility reporting from microbiology laboratories and antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in the community. Data were collected over a 3 month period using a prospective questionnaire survey of general practitioners, who submitted and received a mid-stream urine (MSU) result from selected microbiology laboratories in England and Wales. In addition, prescribing analyses and cost (PACT) data were requested from the Prescription Prescribing Authority. The study demonstrated an association between laboratory reporting of antibiotic susceptibilities and antibiotic prescribing for treatment of urinary tract infections. The reporting of susceptibilities to oral cephalosporins and nitrofurantoin from microbiology laboratories was associated with increased prescribing of each antibiotic. This association was demonstrated for the choice of empirical antibiotic therapy and the choice of antibiotic prescribed for each studied episode of urinary tract infection. PACT data demonstrated a consistently greater use of antibiotics that were reported by the servicing laboratory, although this was only statistically significant for nitrofurantoin. This study demonstrates that there is an association between antibiotic susceptibility reporting from microbiology laboratories and antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of urinary tract infections.
Keywords: antibiotic reporting, prescribing, microbiology laboratory
* Corresponding author. Tel: +44-29-2074-4825; Fax: +44-29-2074-2161; E-mail: theanyen.tan{at}phls.wales.nhs.uk
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