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Antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care: summary of NICE guidance

Antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care: summary of NICE guidance
Antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care: summary of NICE guidance
Antibiotics probably provide little benefit for a large proportion of respiratory tract infections that present in primary care. Respiratory tract infections are largely self limiting, and complications are likely to be rare if antibiotics are withheld. However, respiratory tract infections account for 60% of all antibiotic prescribing in primary care,1 and the prescribing patterns for antibiotics vary widely among general practices, without evidence of significant benefit among higher prescribers. Three different management strategies for antibiotics can be used for patients with respiratory tract infection who present in primary care: no antibiotic prescribing; delayed (or deferred) prescribing, in which a prescription is written for use at a later date if symptoms worsen or do not start to settle in the expected timescale; and immediate prescribing. This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care.
respiratory tract infections, care, health, prescribing, research, research support, primary-care, infection, primary care
0959-8138
Tan, Toni
006bc73a-2bd0-4682-9f68-5957a2f6c008
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Stokes, Tim
00a7e830-10f1-4bfd-ac5e-c1fb079f8aec
Tan, Toni
006bc73a-2bd0-4682-9f68-5957a2f6c008
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Stokes, Tim
00a7e830-10f1-4bfd-ac5e-c1fb079f8aec

Tan, Toni, Little, Paul and Stokes, Tim (2008) Antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ, 337:a437. (doi:10.1136/bmj.a437).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Antibiotics probably provide little benefit for a large proportion of respiratory tract infections that present in primary care. Respiratory tract infections are largely self limiting, and complications are likely to be rare if antibiotics are withheld. However, respiratory tract infections account for 60% of all antibiotic prescribing in primary care,1 and the prescribing patterns for antibiotics vary widely among general practices, without evidence of significant benefit among higher prescribers. Three different management strategies for antibiotics can be used for patients with respiratory tract infection who present in primary care: no antibiotic prescribing; delayed (or deferred) prescribing, in which a prescription is written for use at a later date if symptoms worsen or do not start to settle in the expected timescale; and immediate prescribing. This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care.

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More information

Published date: 23 July 2008
Keywords: respiratory tract infections, care, health, prescribing, research, research support, primary-care, infection, primary care

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 62155
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/62155
ISSN: 0959-8138
PURE UUID: 9e87e819-dd75-4b7b-a276-2b992a156e06

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Date deposited: 03 Apr 2009
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:29

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Contributors

Author: Toni Tan
Author: Paul Little
Author: Tim Stokes

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