The Numbers Behind Antibiotic Overuse

Abigail Zuger, MD reviewing Hicks LA et al. Clin Infect Dis 2015 May 1.

More than 8 in 10 Americans received antibiotic prescriptions in 2011.

Antibiotic overprescribing has received considerable publicity in the last few decades, but actual numbers are seldom included in these descriptions. Using a giant nationwide database of outpatient prescriptions, CDC researchers constructed a detailed analysis of outpatient antibiotic prescribing habits in the U.S. during 2011.

A total of 262.5 million courses of outpatient antibiotics were prescribed in 2011, for an overall rate of 842 prescriptions per 1000 persons. For infants (age, ≤2 years), children (age, 3–9), and older adults (age, ≥65), rates actually exceeded 1000 prescriptions per 1000 persons — an indication that patients in these age groups frequently received several courses of antibiotics during the year. Amoxicillin was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic among children and teenagers, and azithromycin was the antibiotic most commonly prescribed among adults. Women were almost twice as likely as men to receive antibiotics; for both children and adults, antibiotic prescribing rates were considerably higher in the South than in other parts of the country. Per-physician prescribing rates were highest for dermatologists, family practitioners, and pediatricians.

Citation(s):

Hicks LA et al. US outpatient antibiotic prescribing variation according to geography, patient population, and provider specialty in 2011. Clin Infect Dis 2015 May 1; 60:1308.