Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study
Presentation and antibiotic prescribing for common infectious disease episodes decreased substantially during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Dutch general practice. We set out to determine the course of these variables during the first pandemic year. We conducted a retrospective observational c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-12-01
|
| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/12/1521 |
| _version_ | 1827674416599793664 |
|---|---|
| author | Josi A. Boeijen Alike W. van der Velden Saskia Hullegie Tamara N. Platteel Dorien L. M. Zwart Roger A. M. J. Damoiseaux Roderick P. Venekamp Alma C. van de Pol |
| author_facet | Josi A. Boeijen Alike W. van der Velden Saskia Hullegie Tamara N. Platteel Dorien L. M. Zwart Roger A. M. J. Damoiseaux Roderick P. Venekamp Alma C. van de Pol |
| author_sort | Josi A. Boeijen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Presentation and antibiotic prescribing for common infectious disease episodes decreased substantially during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Dutch general practice. We set out to determine the course of these variables during the first pandemic year. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using routine health care data from the Julius General Practitioners’ Network. All patients registered in the pre-pandemic year (<i>n</i> = 425,129) and/or during the first pandemic year (<i>n</i> = 432,122) were included. Relative risks for the number of infectious disease episodes (respiratory tract/ear, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and skin), in total and those treated with antibiotics, and proportions of episodes treated with antibiotics (prescription rates) were calculated. Compared to the pre-pandemic year, primary care presentation for common infections remained lower during the full first pandemic year (RR, 0.77; CI, 0.76–0.78), mainly attributed to a sustained decline in respiratory tract/ear and gastrointestinal infection episodes. Presentation for urinary tract and skin infection episodes declined during the first wave, but returned to pre-pandemic levels during the second and start of the third wave. Antibiotic prescription rates were lower during the full first pandemic year (24%) as compared to the pre-pandemic year (28%), mainly attributed to a 10% lower prescription rate for respiratory tract/ear infections; the latter was not accompanied by an increase in complications. The decline in primary care presentation for common infections during the full first COVID-19 pandemic year, together with lower prescription rates for respiratory tract/ear infections, resulted in a substantial reduction in antibiotic prescribing in Dutch primary care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:39:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fed5042933f14d95ba6a7edb8b469fc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:39:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-fed5042933f14d95ba6a7edb8b469fc32023-11-23T03:31:10ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822021-12-011012152110.3390/antibiotics10121521Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort StudyJosi A. Boeijen0Alike W. van der Velden1Saskia Hullegie2Tamara N. Platteel3Dorien L. M. Zwart4Roger A. M. J. Damoiseaux5Roderick P. Venekamp6Alma C. van de Pol7Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The NetherlandsPresentation and antibiotic prescribing for common infectious disease episodes decreased substantially during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in Dutch general practice. We set out to determine the course of these variables during the first pandemic year. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using routine health care data from the Julius General Practitioners’ Network. All patients registered in the pre-pandemic year (<i>n</i> = 425,129) and/or during the first pandemic year (<i>n</i> = 432,122) were included. Relative risks for the number of infectious disease episodes (respiratory tract/ear, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and skin), in total and those treated with antibiotics, and proportions of episodes treated with antibiotics (prescription rates) were calculated. Compared to the pre-pandemic year, primary care presentation for common infections remained lower during the full first pandemic year (RR, 0.77; CI, 0.76–0.78), mainly attributed to a sustained decline in respiratory tract/ear and gastrointestinal infection episodes. Presentation for urinary tract and skin infection episodes declined during the first wave, but returned to pre-pandemic levels during the second and start of the third wave. Antibiotic prescription rates were lower during the full first pandemic year (24%) as compared to the pre-pandemic year (28%), mainly attributed to a 10% lower prescription rate for respiratory tract/ear infections; the latter was not accompanied by an increase in complications. The decline in primary care presentation for common infections during the full first COVID-19 pandemic year, together with lower prescription rates for respiratory tract/ear infections, resulted in a substantial reduction in antibiotic prescribing in Dutch primary care.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/12/1521COVID-19pandemicantibioticinfectious diseaseincidenceroutine care data |
| spellingShingle | Josi A. Boeijen Alike W. van der Velden Saskia Hullegie Tamara N. Platteel Dorien L. M. Zwart Roger A. M. J. Damoiseaux Roderick P. Venekamp Alma C. van de Pol Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study Antibiotics COVID-19 pandemic antibiotic infectious disease incidence routine care data |
| title | Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study |
| title_full | Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study |
| title_short | Common Infections and Antibiotic Prescribing during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Primary Care-Based Observational Cohort Study |
| title_sort | common infections and antibiotic prescribing during the first year of the covid 19 pandemic a primary care based observational cohort study |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic antibiotic infectious disease incidence routine care data |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/12/1521 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josiaboeijen commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT alikewvandervelden commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT saskiahullegie commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT tamaranplatteel commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT dorienlmzwart commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT rogeramjdamoiseaux commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT roderickpvenekamp commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy AT almacvandepol commoninfectionsandantibioticprescribingduringthefirstyearofthecovid19pandemicaprimarycarebasedobservationalcohortstudy |