General Practitioner-Related Factors Associated with Antibiotic Prescription in Community-Dwelling Adult Population

Abstract

Background: The extensive use of antibiotics has contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance. Understanding the factors behind the attitude of physicians in prescribing antibiotics may be useful to address educational interventions to sensitize them to a more rational use of these drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the general practitioners’ (GPs) characteristics potentially associated with antibiotic prescription in community-dwelling adults from 2000 to 2019. Method: Multivariable linear regression models were performed to evaluate the association of GPs’ characteristics with the mean number of different antibiotics prescribed and the mean number of Defined Daily Doses (DDD) prescribed per patient. Results: We found that GPs older than 60 years prescribed a smaller number of different antibiotics per patient compared to 30–40 years old GPs (mean (standard error) 1.4 (0.5) vs. 1.8 (0.4)). In contrast older GPs prescribed more DDD compared to younger ones (28.9 (0.1) vs. 27.3 (0.3)). GPs prescribed 29 (0.1) DDD for >200 patients on polypharmacy vs. 28 (0.1) DDD for <100 patients on polypharmacy. The mean number of DDD prescribed increased by 5 units and by 16 units for each refill and switch, respectively. Conclusions: Age and number of patients in polypharmacy in charge were found to be associated with higher antibiotic prescriptions. The knowledge of the GPs-related factors could allow the stakeholders to design interventions to sensitize them to a more appropriate use of antibiotics in view of the increasing issue of antibiotic resistance.