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Demographic influences on antibiotic prescribing for pediatric acute otitis media

Douglas Sidell1, Nina L Shapiro, Neil Bhattacharyya

  • 1Division of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1624, USA. dsidell@mednet.ucla.edu

Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery : Official Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
|December 15, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Most children with acute otitis media (AOM) receive antibiotic prescriptions. Race, ethnicity, and insurance status did not significantly impact AOM antibiotic prescribing patterns in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common childhood illness requiring medical management.
  • Antibiotic prescribing patterns for AOM are influenced by various factors, including patient demographics.
  • Understanding these patterns is crucial for optimizing treatment and combating antibiotic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the epidemiologic antibiotic treatment patterns for acute otitis media (AOM) in children.
  • To assess the potential impact of race, ethnicity, and insurance status on AOM medical management.
  • To analyze antibiotic prescribing trends in a national ambulatory care setting.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2006-2008).
  • Included isolated AOM cases in children aged 16 years or younger.
  • Multivariate logistic regression analyzed the influence of age, sex, race, ethnicity, and insurance type on antibiotic prescribing.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 15.8 million AOM cases were studied.
  • 83.1% of children received an antibiotic prescription; amoxicillin was most common.
  • Insurance status, ethnicity, race, age, and sex did not significantly influence antibiotic prescription likelihood (P > .10).

Conclusions:

  • The majority of children treated for AOM receive antibiotic prescriptions.
  • Demographic factors including race, ethnicity, and insurance type do not significantly affect AOM antibiotic prescribing rates.
  • Nearly all pediatric patients in this cohort had medical insurance.
Abstract

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