Do general practitioners prescribe more antimicrobials when the weekend comes?

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Public Health

Background:

• Inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing fuels global antimicrobial resistance.
• Weekend healthcare dynamics, including GP availability and patient concerns, may influence prescribing decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze variations in antimicrobial prescribing between weekdays and weekends in Irish general practice.
• To investigate if the day of the week impacts antimicrobial prescription rates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 15 months of prescribing data from 30 Irish general practices in the SIMPle study.
• Classified antimicrobials using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) guidelines.
• Compared antimicrobial prescribing rates between weekdays (Mon-Thu) and weekends (Fri-Sun).

Main Results:

• Antimicrobial prescribing rates were higher on weekends, with a 9.2% increase on Friday compared to other weekdays.
• The odds of receiving an antimicrobial prescription were 1.07 times higher on weekend days.
• Increased weekend prescriptions were observed for ampicillin, co-amoxiclav, nitrofurantoin, quinolones, and macrolides, though classes prescribed did not differ.

Conclusions:

• General practitioners in Ireland prescribe antimicrobials more frequently during weekends.
• While the *rate* of prescribing increases on weekends, the *types* of antimicrobials prescribed do not significantly differ.
• Addressing weekend prescribing patterns is crucial for antimicrobial resistance mitigation efforts.