Antibiotic prescriptions to children with upper respiratory tract infections and bronchitis in Israel

Abstract

To evaluate antibiotic prescribing practices for children diagnosed with upper respiratory infections (URIs). Twenty‐eight physicians (15 pediatricians and 13 family physicians) from eight clinics in the central region of Israel participated in the study. Information was obtained from the database of 13,919 children under the age of 15 diagnosed with acute respiratory infections. In the eight clinics, the variability of antibiotics prescribed for acute respiratory infections ranged from 4–30% (the common cold and URI), 45–99% (AOM), 37–93% (acute pharyngitis or tonsillitis), 6–55% (acute bronchitis), and 50–100% (acute sinusitis). Antibiotics were prescribed more frequently for children over 5 years of age (p>0.08) and the rates were significantly higher in the Arab pediatric population (p>0.001). There is a wide variability in antibiotic prescribing for children with URIs and the antibiotic prescribing rate is high. Effective intervention is needed to encourage the judicious use of antibiotics in Israel.