Pattern of upper respiratory tract infections and physicians' antibiotic prescribing practices in Bahrain.

Objective: To evaluate the pattern of antibiotic prescriptions for paediatric upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and determine the associated predictors for such antibiotic use in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Subjects And Methods: From March 2005 to March 2006, demographic data, clinical presentation, investigations and antibiotic prescription for children with URTI (n = 184) at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital was recorded. To assess the factors which influence physician antibiotic prescription for URTI, a cross-sectional survey of doctors was carried out using a pre-tested questionnaire which was administered to paediatricians, general practitioners and emergency room physicians.