Objective: To examine how Canadian family physicians currently prescribe for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).
Design: Prospective assessment of adults with symptoms of LRTIs.
Setting: Offices of 120 community-based members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Participants: Four hundred seven adults (16 years and older).
Main Outcome Measures: Clinical findings, diagnoses, tests ordered, and prescriptions for antibiotics were documented on a standardized form.
Results: Antibiotics were prescribed to 58.4% of patients presenting with symptoms of LRTIs. Prescribing was higher (77.9%) for those diagnosed with acute bronchitis, which accounted for 70.3% of prescriptions. Physicians were often uncertain about the need for antibiotics, were concerned that patients could become sicker, and felt pressured by patients to prescribe antibiotics. Macrolides were most frequently prescribed; no tests were ordered in 85.0% of encounters.
Conclusion: The number of antibiotic prescriptions for adults with LRTIs remains high in Canada. Rates of prescribing are increased by diagnosis of acute bronchitis, clinical uncertainty, pressure from patients to receive antibiotics, and concern that patients will deteriorate if left untreated.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2214581 | PMC |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
A Focal Traumatic Injury to the Neonatal Rodent Spinal Cord Causes an Immediate and Massive Spreading Depolarization Sustained by Chloride Ions, with Transient Network Dysfunction.
Cell Mol Neurobiol
January 2025
Neuroscience Department, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, Trieste, TS, Italy.
In clinics, physical injuries to the spinal cord cause a temporary motor areflexia below lesion, known as spinal shock. This topic is still underexplored due to the lack of preclinical spinal cord injury (SCI) models that do not use anesthesia, which would affect spinal excitability. Our innovative design considered a custom-made micro impactor that provides localized and calibrated strikes to the ventral surface of the thoracic spinal cord of the entire CNS isolated from neonatal rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteractions between epithelial mesenchymal plasticity, barrier dysfunction and innate immune pathways shape the genesis of allergic airway disease.
Expert Rev Respir Med
January 2025
School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Introduction: In genetically predisposed individuals, exposure to aeroallergens and infections from RNA viruses shape epithelial barrier function, leading to Allergic Asthma (AA). Here, activated pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in lower airway sentinel cells signal epithelial injury-repair pathways leading to cell-state changes [epithelial mesenchymal plasticity (EMP)], barrier disruption and sensitization.
Areas Covered: 1.
Efficacy and safety of Treating Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension With Imatinib:A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
J Cardiovasc Pharmacol
January 2025
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Pulmonary vascular remodeling and arterial hypertension (PAH) correlate to increased platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) activity and elevated KIT expression. Imatinib has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for PAH. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of imatinib in treatment of PAH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeasonal effect of PM exposure in patients with COPD: a multicentre panel study.
Environ Sci Process Impacts
January 2025
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Research Center for Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 88, Olympic-ro 43-Gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, South Korea.
: Exposure to particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM) is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but most studies lack individual PM measurements. Seasonal variation and their impact on clinical outcomes remain understudied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPotential Impact of Rapid Molecular Microbiologic Diagnosis for Mechanically Ventilated Children in Intensive Care With Suspected Pneumonia.
Pediatr Infect Dis J
January 2025
Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne.
Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) remain a leading cause of community-acquired and nosocomial infection in children and a common indication for antimicrobial use and intensive care admission. Determining the causative pathogen for LRTIs is difficult and traditional culture-based methods are labor- and time-intensive. Emerging molecular diagnostic tools may identify pathogens and detect antimicrobial resistance more quickly, to enable earlier targeted antimicrobial therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!