ABSTRACT
INTRODUCCIÓN: según los estudios disponibles, el consumo de antibióticos en niños es elevado en España. No obstante, puede haber grandes diferencias territoriales incluso entre áreas geográficas pequeñas. El objetivo del estudio es conocer la prescripción de antibióticos en la edad pediátrica y describir sus características en el área administrativa de la Organización Sanitaria Integrada (OSI) Barrualde-Galdakao del Servicio Vasco de Salud-Osakidetza. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: se han estudiado retrospectivamente las prescripciones antibióticas realizadas a niños de 0 a 13 años a lo largo de los años 2015, 2016 y 2017. Los datos han sido extraídos de la base de datos Presbide del Servicio Vasco de Salud-Osakidetza. Se han determinado tasas de episodios tratados con antibiótico y su prevalencia, así como tipos de antibióticos utilizados. RESULTADOS: se han analizado 56 974 prescripciones de antibiótico dispensado a 40 824 niños a lo largo de tres años. El número de episodios tratados con antibiótico por 1000 niños/año fue de 465,20. El porcentaje de niños que recibió al menos una dispensación antibiótica/año fue de 30,72. La máxima incidencia de prescripción se dio en niños de uno y dos años (826 y 827 episodios tratados/1000 niños/año respectivamente). El 64,61% de las dispensaciones fueron de amoxicilina. CONCLUSIÓN: nuestras cifras de prescripción de antibióticos en niños son elevadas en comparación con los países poco prescriptores del norte de Europa y sensiblemente inferiores a los datos disponibles de estudios hechos en España y de otros países del área mediterránea
INTRODUCTION: based on the current literature, the consumption of antibiotics in children is high in Spain. However, there may be large differences even between small geographic areas. The objective of the study was to establish the frequency of antibiotic prescription in the paediatric age group and describe the characteristics of these prescriptions in the in the Barrualde-Galdakao integrated health care area of the Osakidetza-Basque Health System. METHODS: we made a retrospective analysis of antibiotic prescriptions made to children aged 0 to 13 years in years 2015, 2016 and 2017. We retrieved the data from the Presbide database of the Osakidetza-Basque Health System. We calculated rates of antibiotic-treated episodes and the prevalence of antibiotic use, and analysed the distribution by type of antibiotic. RESULTS: we analysed 56 974 antibiotic prescriptions dispensed to 40 824 children over a 3-year period. The number of antibiotic-treated episodes per 1000 children/year was 465.20. The percentage of children who received at least one antibiotic per year was 30.72. The highest rates of antibiotic use occurred in children aged 1 and 2 years (826 and 827 episodes treated/1000 children/year respectively), and 64.61% of the dispensed prescriptions were for amoxicillin. CONCLUSION: The frequency of antibiotic use in children found in our study was high compared to countries with a low frequency of antibiotic prescription in Europe and significantly lower compared to the results of other studies conducted in Spain and other Mediterranean countries
Subject(s)
Infant, Newborn , Infant , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Drug Prescriptions/statistics & numerical data , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Retrospective Studies , SpainABSTRACT
Background: The majority of clinical practice guidelines do not recommend the use of SYSADOA (Symptomatic Slow Action Drugs for Osteoarthritis) for the treatment of osteoarthritis because of the lack of evidence or uncertainty around their efficacy. Nevertheless, the Spanish Public Health Service continues funding these drugs. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe the prescription status of SYSADOA in the primary care units of the Basque Country during 2011; to determine if variability exists among them; and to examine if the variability could be explained by the health care region each PC unit belongs to. Methods: Prescription data for SYSADOA during 2011 was obtained from the Basque Ministry for Health. In the Basque Country, primary care is divided into seven regions, each region consisting of several primary care units, which were used as the unit of analysis. Defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitant-days (DHD) were calculated. Data were standardized by sex and age using the total population of the Basque Country as the reference population. Small area statistics were calculated (extremal quotient, coefficient of variation and systematic component of variation). The influence of the region to which primary care units belonged was also analysed. R software (version R-2.15.0) was used for the analysis. Results: SYSADOA prescription during 2011 accounted for an expense of 4.5 million euros for the Basque Health Service. The crude rate of consumption of SYSADOA was 7.81 DDD per 1,000 inhabitant-days. The obtained external quotient was 13.67. The prescription of SYSADOA of the primary care units located in the 95th percentile was six times higher than the ones located in the 5th percentile. The region to which units belonged accounted for 57% of the observed variability. Discussion: The uncertainty around these drugs could be reflected in the existing variability of their prescription level. The analysis of the variability in the prescription of drugs with no demonstrated efficacy could help in allocating resources into other services or health technologies supported by evidence, thereby contributing to the improvement of health outcomes.
