Prevalence of Antibiotic Prescription in Patients with Acute Rhinosinusitis Treated by General Practitioners and Otolaryngologists in Germany—A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

(1) Background: The goal of this retrospective cohort study, based on real-world data and conducted in Germany, was to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic (AB) prescription in patients with acute rhinosinusitis (ARS). (2) Methods: Data from the Disease Analyzer database were used for this cross-sectional study. Patients aged ≥18 years diagnosed with acute sinusitis by general practitioners (GPs) and ear, nose, throat (ENT) specialists between January 2012 and December 2020 were included. The main outcome of the study was the proportion of patients with ARS who received an AB prescription on the day of diagnosis or within three days afterwards. The proportion was estimated separately for patients treated by GPs and ENTs, and also for five age groups, as well as women and men. (3) Results: In total, 308,095 patients were diagnosed with ARS (187,838 by GPs and 120,257 by ENTs). 50.9% of patients treated by GPs and 50.0% treated by ENTs received an AB prescription. AB prevalence increased with age from 46.9% in the age group 18–30 years to 55.5% in the age group > 60 years. (4) Conclusions: We have shown a high prevalence of potentially inappropriate AB prescription for adult patients with ARS in both GP and ENT practices and also among both women and men and in several age groups. There is an urgent need for interventions to reduce inappropriate AB use.