Quantifying the Gap between Expected and Actual Rates of Antibiotic Prescribing in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Despite decades of stewardship efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and quantify changes in use, the quality of antibiotic use in British Columbia (BC) remains unknown. As the overuse and misuse of antibiotics drives antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to expand surveillance efforts to examine the quality of antibiotic prescriptions. In late 2019, Canadian expected rates of antibiotic prescribing were developed for common infections. These rates were utilized to quantify the gap between the observed rates of prescribing and Canadian expected rates for antibiotic use for the province of BC. The prescribing data were extracted and matched to physician billing systems using anonymized patient identifiers from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2018. Outpatient prescribing was further subdivided into community and emergency department settings and stratified by the following age groups: <2 years, 2–18 years, and ≥19 years. The proportions of physician visits that received antibiotic prescription were compared against the Canadian expected rates to quantify the unnecessary use for 18 common indications. Respiratory tract infections (RTI), including acute bronchitis, acute sinusitis, and acute pharyngitis, reported significant levels of overprescribing. Across all ages and health care settings, prescribing for RTI indications occurred at rates 2–8 times higher than the expected rates recommended by a group of expert Canadian physicians. Understanding the magnitude of unnecessary prescribing is a first step in delineating the provincial prescribing quality. The quantification of antibiotic overuse offers concrete targets for provincial stewardship efforts to reduce unnecessary prescribing by an average of 30% across both outpatient and emergency care settings.

Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli: Mechanisms of Infection and Treatment Options

“…However, numerous effective strategies have been developed by bacteria to overcome therapeutic procedures and survive in the urinary system [ 175 ]. Moreover, excessive use of antibiotics can lead to the occurrence of drug resistance and interfere with the intestinal microbiota [ 176 ]. Therefore, it is necessary to search for preventative strategies and alternative remedies.…”

Barriers and Facilitators in Pricing and Funding Policies of European Countries That Impact the Use of Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Outpatient Practices

“…Studies have shown that antibiotics are often applied unnecessarily, especially for community-acquired acute respiratory tract infections (CA-ARTIs) in outpatient care [11][12][13]. CA-ARTIs affect primarily the lower or upper respiratory tract.…”

A cluster randomized trial assessing the impact of personalized prescribing feedback on antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated acute cystitis to family physicians

“…Indicators show that infections caused by antimicrobial resistant organisms continue to increase in Canada [1], and that while antimicrobial stewardship programs reduced the prescriptions for children, the quality of antibiotic prescribing for adults remained suboptimal [2][3][4]. Continued efforts to preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials to treat infectious disease is essential since misuse of antimicrobials is the primary mechanism driving resistance [5][6][7][8].…”