[Respiratory tract infections in general practice--the effect of a medical audit project]

A medical audit of the management of respiratory tract infections was performed among 31 general practitioners in Funen county. The first registration of prescriptions in 1992 showed that broadspectrum antibiotics were used to a higher extent than seemed necessary. An intervention with courses, visits to the department of clinical microbiology and distribution of recommendations concerning diagnosis and treatment was performed. The intention was to give the necessary and only the necessary amount of antibiotics and when an antibiotic was indicated to use penicillin as often as possible. A new registration was made one year after the first one. The proportion of antibiotic prescriptions was reduced from 0.49 to 0.38 and the proportion of prescriptions of broadspectrum antibiotics was reduced from 0.21 to 0.12. Detection of group A streptococci in tonsillitis was used more frequently in 1993 than in 1992. Medical audit performed after this model seems a good instrument for changing prescription habits. Medical audit thus seems to be a useful tool in quality improvement in general practice.