PRIMARY CARE PAEDIATRICIAN’S ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTION AND SELF-HELP USE IN RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

Key words: Respiratory tract infections, Antibiotic prescription, Self-help, Primary care

Aims - Assessing the primary care paediatricians (PCPs) antibiotic prescriptions and the self-help use during respiratory infections in children. Methods - 58 PCPs have registered diagnosis, self-help and therapy of the respiratory infections observed during 2007, one week a month. Results - In a total of 49,525 children, 23,801 were visited by PCPs for respiratory infections. In 14.7% cases (3,489) self-help was utilized. According to the self-help test results, no antibiotic prescription has been done in 47.5% cases. Penicillins were prescribed in 76.2% cases, macrolides in 13.4% and cephalosporins in 10.3%. Amoxicillin was the most used active principle, indeed it was prescribed in 58% cases. Conclusions - The progressive self-help spread could be a determining factor in diagnostic accuracy improving and appropriateness in PCPs prescriptive practice.