Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns of Family Medicine Pediatric Visits: A Pharmacoepidemiological Study

Background/Objectives: Understanding the medication prescribing patterns in pediatric primary care is essential for informing policy and clinical practice. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and following the 2018 antibiotic restriction policy, limited data exist on the patterns, types, and regimens of antibiotics prescribed during routine family medicine visits for children. This pharmacoepidemiological study aimed to describe the antibiotic prescribing patterns in a university-affiliated model primary healthcare center. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for all the pediatric visits (<14 years) to general family medicine clinics between January and December 2024. Demographic characteristics, visit type, diagnosis, and antibiotic prescription details such as medication class, route, frequency, and duration were extracted from electronic medical records and analyzed descriptively. Results: Among the 2036 pediatric visits, 705 (34.63%) resulted in at least one prescription. Of these, 87 visits (12.34%) included an antibiotic. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic classes were nitroimidazoles (39.29%), penicillins (36.90%), and macrolides (10.71%). Penicillins were typically prescribed for 7 days twice daily as suspensions. Among the non-antibiotic prescriptions, vaccines, nutritional supplements, and analgesics were the most common. Follow-up consultations accounted for 34.09% of all the visits. Conclusions: A lower proportion of antibiotic prescriptions was found when compared to regional and international reports, which may reflect the impact of the antibiotic restriction policy in the country. The findings suggest a shift toward more cautious prescribing in primary care and align with the national efforts to regulate antimicrobial use. Ongoing surveillance of the prescribing trends is essential to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of these measures.