Evaluation of Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns for Influenza in Ambulatory Setting

The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that Influenza results in 9.3 million – 41 million illnesses, 100,000 – 710,000 hospitalizations and 4,900 – 51,000 deaths annually. Influenza costs originate from inpatient and outpatient care settings and substantial indirect costs are related to lost productivity. 7 In the United States, total annual direct medical costs have been estimated to be US$3.2 billion, whereas indirect costs accounted for US$8.0 billion. This retrospective research aimed to study the prescribing trends of antibiotics for influenza and adherence to the guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) by utilizing the National Ambulatory Medical Survey (NAMCS) 2016 database. This was based on a sample of visits to non-federally employed office-based physicians who are engaged in direct patient care at community health centers. Patient sex, race, as well as source of payment, and provider type, were among the demographic variables studied for adherence to the guidelines. The total number of ambulatory care visits was 1,753. Of those, 63.6% of patients were prescribed, inappropriate agents. General and Family Practice physicians were the most frequented providers (32.9%), followed by Nurse Practitioners (21.9%), and Pediatricians (17.1%). Family practice physicians and nurse practitioners appeared to prescribe more inappropriately as compared to the other specialties (X2=0.001). White and black patients were prescribed more inappropriately as compared to other races (X2=0.032). Antibiotic resistance is a public health problem of increasing magnitude, and finding effective solutions to address this problem is critical. Antibiotic resistance is also an economic healthcare burden. Adherence to guidelines minimizes antibiotic resistance and promotes patients and public health.