Antibiotic prescribing in Danish general practice 2004-13

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Antibiotic consumption is often broadly categorized under primary care.
• Few studies differentiate antibiotic use by medical specialty within primary care.
• Accurate characterization requires specific data on general practice prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and characterize antibiotic use in Danish general practice.
• To compare general practice antibiotic consumption with the entire primary care sector.
• To analyze trends by antibiotic spectrum and age groups.

Main Methods:

• Registry-based study of antibiotic prescriptions redeemed at Danish community pharmacies (July 2004 - June 2013).
• Antibiotic use measured in Defined Daily Doses (DDDs) and DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day (DIDs).
• Analysis stratified by antibiotic spectrum (narrow vs. broad) and age groups.

Main Results:

• General practice's contribution to primary care antibiotic use decreased (TIDs 79%-75%, DIDs 77%-73%).
• General practice antibiotic use showed divergent trends: increased 8% by DIDs, decreased 9% by TIDs.
• Broad-spectrum antibiotic use increased, while narrow-spectrum use decreased, particularly in young children; elderly patients showed increased prescribing.

Conclusions:

• The entire primary care sector is an imprecise proxy for general practice antibiotic prescribing.
• General practice antibiotic use remains stable but high, with differing trends between DID and TID metrics.
• Increased broad-spectrum antibiotic use, especially in children, warrants targeted interventions.