Researchers of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a new study “Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Infections During Influenza Seasons”, which examined clinicians antibiotics prescribing methods.
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the syndrome for which antibiotics are most commonly prescribed but most ARIs are caused by viruses for which antibiotics are ineffective. According to study among all patients prescribed antibiotics, 41% lacked a diagnosis code for which antibiotic therapy is potentially indicated. The researchers also found that older adults were more likely than younger adults and children to receive antibiotics without diagnostic documentation of an appropriate indication and were far more likely to receive broad-spectrum antibiotics. The study indicates also a number of potential targets to achieve the goal of the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria of reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by 50% by 2020. One of these targets is the point-of-care diagnostics, which improve treatment decisions and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.