Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
11:17

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses

Published on: August 30, 2018

Antibiotic prescribing in general practice--the rhythm of the week: a cross-sectional study

Thomas Kuehlein1, Joachim Szecsenyi, Andreas Gutscher

  • 1Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. thomas.kuehlein@med.uni-heidelberg.de

The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
|September 25, 2010
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Antibiotic prescribing rates in primary care are higher on Fridays, suggesting factors beyond patient illness influence prescriptions. This highlights the need to explore non-biomedical reasons for antibiotic overprescribing.

Area of Science:

  • General Practice Research
  • Pharmacoeconomics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Overprescribing of antibiotics is a global issue in primary care.
  • Prescriptions can mitigate diagnostic uncertainty in general practice.
  • Hypothesis: Increased antibiotic prescribing on Fridays due to pre-weekend uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze antibiotic prescribing rates across different days of the week.
  • To investigate the influence of the weekday on antibiotic prescription frequency.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study utilizing a German general practice research database.
  • Analysis of antibiotic prescribing rates for 102,140 patients across 32 practices.
  • Multivariate analysis using SAS PROC GENMOD to account for study design.

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic prescribing rates were 23.3% higher on Fridays compared to other weekdays (6.04% vs. 4.90%).
  • This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).
  • Multivariate analysis confirmed the significance of the weekday effect.

Conclusions:

  • Periodic fluctuations in antibiotic prescribing occur weekly.
  • Morbidity alone does not explain these prescribing variations.
  • Non-biomedical factors influence prescribing and must be addressed to reduce antibiotic overprescribing.

More Related Videos

One-day Workflow Scheme for Bacterial Pathogen Detection and Antimicrobial Resistance Testing from Blood Cultures08:30

One-day Workflow Scheme for Bacterial Pathogen Detection and Antimicrobial Resistance Testing from Blood Cultures

Published on: July 9, 2012

Related Concept Videos

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance01:25

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...
Chronopharmacokinetics: Circadian Rhythms and Influence on Drug Response01:15

Chronopharmacokinetics: Circadian Rhythms and Influence on Drug Response

Circadian rhythms are cyclic changes that are crucial in plasma drug concentrations. Various standard circadian parameters, including core body temperature, heart rate, and other cardiovascular factors, directly impact disease states and the therapeutic response to drug therapy.
The time of drug administration is an important factor to consider, as it can influence the toxic dose of a drug. For example, a study conducted by Prins et al. in 1997 examined the effects of the timing of...
Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
Dosage Regimens: Designs and Approaches01:28

Dosage Regimens: Designs and Approaches

Designing a dosage regimen, which refers to the manner of drug administration, is a complex process involving the selection of drug dose, route, and frequency. This process is underpinned by pharmacokinetic parameters derived from tests and population averages. These parameters are then tailored to patient-specific variables such as diagnosis, demographics, and allergy status. Once therapy commences, therapeutic response monitoring is critical and achieved through clinical and physical...
Urinary Tract Infection III: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care01:30

Urinary Tract Infection III: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care

A healthcare provider can diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI) through several methods:Medical History and Symptoms: The provider will take a detailed medical history and ask about symptoms such as frequent urination, burning sensation during urination, and lower abdominal pain.Urinalysis: A clean-catch urine sample is collected in a sterile container and tested for the presence of bacteria, white blood cells (leukocytes), nitrites, blood, and protein. The presence of leukocytes and...
Dosage Regimens: Partial Pharmacokinetic Parameters01:01

Dosage Regimens: Partial Pharmacokinetic Parameters

It is not uncommon for complete drug pharmacokinetic profiles to remain elusive in pharmacokinetics. This necessitates certain educated assumptions by pharmacokineticists to determine appropriate dosage regimens without comprehensive pharmacokinetic data from animal or human studies. One prevalent assumption is setting the bioavailability factor, denoted as F, to 1 or 100%. This assumption caters to the scenario where a drug doesn't achieve full systemic absorption, resulting in the patient...