Paediatric antibiotic prescribing in a nationwide direct-to-consumer telemedicine platform in France, 2018–2021

Abstract

Background Recent regulatory and reimbursement changes facilitated the development of teleconsultation within primary care. French guidance advises against antibiotic prescribing in children in teleconsultation. We assessed paediatric antibiotic prescribing on a French teleconsultation platform. Methods This cross-sectional observational study analysed paediatric (0–14 years) visits on a national direct-to-consumer teleconsultation platform between January 2018 and December 2021. Teleconsultations with complete information regarding diagnosis (ICD-10 coding) and prescriptions were included. We assessed antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits across diagnoses and used logistic regression to identify factors associated with antibiotic prescribing. Results In the 37 587 included paediatric teleconsultations (median age 3 years) performed by 713 general practitioners (GPs) and 89 paediatricians, antibiotics were prescribed for 12.1%. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) accounted for 49.5% of antibiotic prescriptions. Antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits were: sinusitis, 69.5%; urinary tract infections, 62.2%; pharyngitis, 59.0%; pneumonia, 45.5%; otitis, 46.6%; bronchitis, 19.6%; rhinitis, 11.6%; bronchiolitis 6.6%. Antibiotic prescription rates were higher in GPs than paediatricians [OR 2.21 (IC95% 2.07–2.35)], among physicians aged 45–54 and over 65 [OR 1.66 (1.48–1.85) and 1.48 (1.32–1.66), respectively], in female practitioners [OR 1.13 (1.05–1.21)], in children 3–6 years old [OR 1.41 (1.28–1.56)] and over 6 [OR 1.50 (1.35–1.66)], during winter [OR 1.28 (1.21–1.37)] and for RTIs [OR 1.99 (1.87–2.10)]. Antibiotic prescription rates were lower in doctors with extensive experience in teleconsultation [OR 0.92 (0.86–0.98)]. Conclusions Despite current recommendations, paediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics during acute care teleconsultations. Specific antibiotic stewardship campaigns should target paediatric teleconsultations.