[The quality of antibacterial prescription in a primary care district. Its evolution in 1994-1995]

To analyse the profile and quality of antibacterials (ABs) prescription in a primary care (PC) district during 1994 and 1995.

A longitudinal, descriptive and retrospective study.

PC doctors from the PC district Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz).

The prescriptions for ABs belonging to the following groups were studied: JO1 (systemic antibiotics), JO3 (systemic chemotherapy drugs), GO4A (antiseptics and drugs for urinary infection) and RO5C1 (expectorants, with mucolytic drugs included with anti-infection ones). The unit of measurement was the daily defined dose (DDD). DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID) and the DDD percentage of each AB versus the total were used as quantitative indicators. The qualitative indicators were: origins of use of ABs in PC and %DDD of non-justified associations (NJA) (RO5C1 group).

The prescription profile of ABs in the area is similar to, and somewhat more favorable than, that described in the literature for similar areas. In the reconverted network there was a more rational prescription than in the non-reconverted network for the two years of the study. In both types of network a light improvement in the indicators studied was observed from 1994 to 1995.