Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for URTIs high

Antibiotics are commonly inappropriately prescribed for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), reports a recent Egypt study. Nevertheless, physicians show good attitudes toward appropriate antibiotic use and knowledge of antibiotic resistance.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 153 physicians (mean age 32.2 years) in the Assiut district of Egypt. Participants were shown four clinical vignettes addressing different URTI scenarios, to assess how they would prescribe medicines in these scenarios. A self-administered questionnaire was also given to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding antibiotic prescriptions.

A total of 612 clinical vignettes were available for analysis, of which physicians deemed 326 scenarios to need antibiotic prescriptions. Only 8.3 percent of such prescriptions were classified as appropriate by the study team.

Meanwhile, self-reported questionnaires showed that participants had good knowledge regarding antibiotic prescriptions, scoring a mean of 12.4 out of 17 points. Attitudes were likewise generally positive.

Researchers detected a significant and inverse correlation between knowledge and the ignorance attitude subscale (r, –0.428; p<0.001), while knowledge was tied positively with responsibility of others attitude subscale (r, 0.506; p<0.001).

“Although the percentage of inappropriate prescriptions in clinical vignettes is high, more research is required to investigate the factors of antibiotic inappropriate prescribing practice and non-adherence to guidelines,” the researchers said.

“Also, it is essential to set up a national antibiotic stewardship program to improve antibiotic prescribing and contain antimicrobial resistance problems,” they added.