%0 Journal Article %T Excessive prescription duration is a major contributor of inappropriate antibiotic use in primary care. %A Piednoir E %A Thibon P %A Delestre M %A Fiaux É %A Lebas F %A Verdon R %A Tattevin P %J Infect Dis Now %V 54 %N 7 %D 2024 Aug 11 %M 39137877 暂无%R 10.1016/j.idnow.2024.104962 %X OBJECTIVE: In France, 75% of systemic antibiotics are prescribed by general practitioners (GPs) in primary care. We aimed to estimate the burden of inappropriate use related to excessive prescription duration.
METHODS: In 2021, we performed a cross-sectional and pharmaco-economic study of a network of six GPs. The references for optimal durations were those of the French national guidelines for antibiotic prescription.
RESULTS: Out of 196 antibiotic prescriptions, 33.7 % were of excessive duration, with a mean excess of 0.9 [0.86-0.94] to 1.6 [1.45-1.72] days per prescription. Ear, nose, and throat, respiratory tract, and skin and skin structure infections were the main infections associated with excessive prescription. The pharmaco-economic analysis showed that the cost of excessive prescription duration would range from an estimated 151 to 262 million € in France in 2021.
CONCLUSIONS: Addressing excessive antibiotic prescription duration by GPs may represent a powerful and cost-saving tool in antimicrobial stewardship programs.