Prescriptions of antibiotics in out-of-hours primary care setting in Reykjavik capital area

Objective: To describe antibiotic prescriptions in out-of-hour (OOH) service in primary care setting in Iceland and to study the indications for prescriptions.

Design: A population based retrospective study, using electronic data from the OOH registration system.

Setting: OOH primary care setting in Reykjavik capital area in Iceland.

Subjects: All patients that received a prescription for oral antibiotic drug at an OOH service in Reykjavik capital area over a one-year period.

Main outcome measures: Number of oral antibiotic prescriptions and diagnosis connected to the prescriptions according to age and sex.

Results: There were 75,582 contacts with the OOH primary care of which 25,059 contacts resulted in prescription of an oral antibiotic (33%). The most common antibiotic prescribed in total, and for the diagnosis studied, was amoxicillin with clavulanic acid. It was most often prescribed for acute otitis media. Of those diagnosed with otitis media 50% were treated with amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and 40% of those diagnosed with pneumonia received that treatment. The second most prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin. Most often it was prescribed for sinusitis, in 47% of cases with that diagnosis.

Conclusion: Antibiotics are often prescribed in OOH primary care in Iceland and a substantial number of the patients diagnosed in OOH primary care with acute otitis media or pneumonia are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics. Key points Antibiotic prescription rate is high and broad-spectrum drugs often prescribed in OOH primary care service in Iceland. The results should encourage general practitioners in Iceland to review antibiotic prescriptions in OOH service.