Search

The rapid growth of telehealth services has brought about direct-to-consumer telemedicine platforms, enabling patients to request antibiotics online without a virtual or face-to-face consultation. While telemedicine aims to enhance accessibility, this trend raises significant concerns regarding appropriate antimicrobial use and patient safety. In this viewpoint, we share our first-hand experience with 2 direct-to-consumer platforms, where we intentionally sought inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for nonspecific symptoms strongly indicative of a viral upper respiratory infection. Despite the lack of clear necessity, requested antibiotic prescriptions were readily transmitted to our local pharmacy following a simple monetary transaction. The effortless acquisition of patient-selected antibiotics online, devoid of personal interactions or consultations, underscores the urgent imperative for intensified antimicrobial stewardship initiatives led by state and national public health organizations in telehealth settings. By augmenting oversight and regulation, we can ensure the responsible and judicious use of antibiotics, safeguard patient well-being, and preserve the efficacy of these vital medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospital admissions and antimicrobial use. Clinical practice guidelines recommend switching from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics once patients are clinically stable. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults admitted with CAP and initially treated with IV antibiotics at 642 US hospitals from 2010 through 2015. Switching was defined as discontinuation of IV and initiation of oral antibiotics without interrupting therapy. Patients switched by hospital day 3 were considered early switchers. We compared length of stay (LOS), in-hospital 14-day mortality, late deterioration (intensive care unit [ICU] transfer), and hospital costs between early switchers and others, controlling for hospital characteristics, patient demographics, comorbidities, initial treatments, and predicted mortality. Results Of 378 041 CAP patients, 21 784 (6%) were switched early, most frequently to fluoroquinolones. Patients switched early had fewer days on IV antibiotics, shorter duration of inpatient antibiotic treatment, shorter LOS, and lower hospitalization costs, but no significant excesses in 14-day in-hospital mortality or late ICU admission. Patients at a higher mortality risk were less likely to be switched. However, even in hospitals with relatively high switch rates, <15% of very low–risk patients were switched early. Conclusions Although early switching was not associated with worse outcomes and was associated with shorter LOS and fewer days on antibiotics, it occurred infrequently. Even in hospitals with high switch rates, <15% of very low–risk patients were switched early. Our findings suggest that many more patients could be switched early without compromising outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influenza is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), and results of influenza tests can direct therapy. However, among adults hospitalized with CAP, little is known about the frequency and timing of influenza testing, treatment, and their associations with outcomes.Research Question: In patients with CAP, is testing for influenza associated with antiviral treatment and shorter antibiotic courses, and is early treatment associated with better clinical outcomes?Study Design and Methods: This study included adults admitted with pneumonia in 2010 to 2015 to 179 US hospitals contributing to the Premier database. We assessed influenza testing and compared antimicrobial utilization and the outcomes of test-positive, test-negative, and untested patients. Associations of early antiviral treatment (oseltamivir) with 14-day in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and cost were studied.Results: Among 166,268 patients with CAP, 38,703 (23.3%) were tested for influenza, of whom 11.5% tested positive. Testing increased from 15.4% to 35.6% from 2010 to 2015 and was 28.9% during flu season (October-May) vs 8.2% in June to September. Patients testing positive for influenza received antiviral agents more often and antibacterial agents less often and for shorter courses than patients testing negative (5.3 vs 6.4 days; P < .001). Influenza-positive patients receiving oseltamivir on hospital day 1 (n = 2,585) experienced lower 14-day in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59-0.96), lower costs (adjusted ratio of means, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.95), and shorter length of stay (adjusted ratio of means, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93) vs patients receiving oseltamivir later or not at all (n = 1,742).Interpretation: Even during flu season, most patients with CAP in this study went untested for influenza. A positive influenza test result was associated with antiviral treatment, and early treatment was associated with lower mortality, suggesting that more widespread testing might improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We aimed to estimate and compare the risk of AKI for various antibiotic combinations in adults hospitalized for CAP. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the Premier Healthcare Database containing all admissions for 660 US hospitals from 2010 to 2015. We included adults aged ≥18 years hospitalized with CAP and considered 6 different antibiotic combinations based on continuous use in the first 3 hospital days. The primary outcome was incident AKI, defined by ICD-9 codes 584.5-584-9. We evaluated associations of AKI with in-hospital mortality and length-of-stay. We excluded patients who were admitted directly to the intensive care unit, had AKI codes present on admission or had dialysis in the first 2 days. We used generalized linear mixed models with the hospital as a random effect and covariate adjustment for patient demographics, comorbidities, other treatments on day 0/1, and hospital characteristics. The total sample included 449,535 patients, 3.15% of whom developed AKI. All other regimens but fluoroquinolones exhibited higher AKI odds than 3rd generation cephalosporin with or without macrolide. The combination of piperacillin/tazobactam and vancomycin with or without other antibiotics was associated with the highest AKI odds (OR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.73–2.06). Patients with incident AKI had an increased odds of hospital mortality (OR = 6.37; 95% CI: 6.07–6.69) and longer length-of-stay (mean multiplier = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.82, 1.86). Compared to 3rd generation cephalosporin with or without macrolide, piperacillin/tazobactam, vancomycin, and their combination were associated with higher odds of developing AKI, which in turn were associated with worse clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines recommend against routine Legionella pneumophila testing, but recommend that hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia receive empiric treatment covering Legionella. Testing, empiric treatment, and outcomes for patients with Legionella have not been well described.Research Question: Is testing for Legionella pneumophila appropriate, and could it impact treatment?Study Design and Methods: We conducted a large retrospective cohort analysis using Premier Healthcare Database data from 2010 to 2015. We included adults with a principal diagnosis code for pneumonia (or a principal diagnosis of respiratory failure or sepsis with secondary diagnosis of pneumonia) if they also received treatment for pneumonia on hospital days 1-3. We categorized Legionella-tested patients by test result, identified patient characteristics associated with testing and test result, and examined seasonal and regional patterns of Legionella pneumonia (LP) diagnoses. Empiric therapy for LP was defined as a macrolide, quinolone, or doxycycline, administered on each of the first two hospital days.Results: Of 166,689 eligible patients, 43,070 (26%) were tested for Legionella, and 642 (1.5%) tested positive. Although only 36% of tests were ordered from June to October, 70% of positive test results occurred during this time. Only 30% of patients with hyponatremia, 32% with diarrhea, and 27% in the ICU were tested. Of patients with positive test results, 495 of 642 (77%) had received empiric Legionella therapy. Patients with LP did not have more severe presentation. They had more frequent late decompensation, but similar mortality to patients without LP.Interpretation: Legionella is an uncommon cause of community-acquired pneumonia, occurring primarily from late spring through early autumn. Testing is uncommon, even among patients with risk factors, and many patients with positive test results failed to receive empiric coverage for LP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Choice of empiric therapy for pneumonia depends on risk for antimicrobial resistance. Models to predict resistance are derived from blood and respiratory culture results. We compared these results to understand if organisms and resistance patterns differed by site. We also compared characteristics and outcomes of patients with positive cultures by site. Methods We studied adult patients discharged from 177 US hospitals from July 2010 through June 2015, with principal diagnoses of pneumonia, or principal diagnoses of respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory arrest, or sepsis with a secondary diagnosis of pneumonia, and who had blood or respiratory cultures performed. Demographics, treatment, microbiologic results, and outcomes were examined. Results Among 138 561 hospitalizations of patients with pneumonia who had blood or respiratory cultures obtained at admission, 12 888 (9.3%) yielded positive cultures: 6438 respiratory cultures, 5992 blood cultures, and 458 both respiratory and blood cultures. Forty-two percent had isolates resistant to first-line therapy for community-acquired pneumonia. Isolates from respiratory samples were more often resistant than were isolates from blood (54.2% vs 26.6%; P <.001). Patients with both culture sites positive had higher case-fatality, longer lengths of stay, and higher costs than patients who had only blood or respiratory cultures positive. Among respiratory cultures, the most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (34%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17%), whereas blood cultures most commonly grew Streptococcus pneumoniae (33%), followed by S. aureus (22%). Conclusions Patients with positive respiratory tract cultures are clinically different from those with positive blood cultures, and resistance patterns differ by source. Models of antibiotic resistance should account for culture source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends pneumococcal urinary antigen testing (UAT) when identifying pneumococcal infection would allow for antibiotic de-escalation. However, the frequencies of UAT and subsequent antibiotic de-escalation are unknown. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted with community-acquired or healthcare-associated pneumonia to 170 US hospitals in the Premier database from 2010 to 2015, to describe variation in UAT use, associations of UAT results with antibiotic de-escalation, and associations of de-escalation with outcomes. Results Among 159 894 eligible admissions, 24 757 (15.5%) included UAT performed (18.4% of intensive care unit [ICU] and 15.3% of non-ICU patients). Among hospitals with ≥100 eligible patients, UAT proportions ranged from 0% to 69%. Compared to patients with negative UAT, 7.2% with positive UAT more often had a positive Streptococcus pneumoniae culture (25.4% vs 1.9%, P <.001) and less often had resistant bacteria (5.2% vs 6.8%, P <.05). Of patients initially treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, most were still receiving broad-spectrum therapy 3 days later, but UAT-positive patients more often had coverage narrowed (38.4% vs 17.0% UAT-negative and 14.6% untested patients, P <.001). Hospital rate of UAT was strongly correlated with de-escalation following a positive test. Only 3 patients de-escalated after a positive UAT result were subsequently admitted to ICU. Conclusions UAT is not ordered routinely in pneumonia, even in ICU. A positive UAT result was associated with less frequent resistant organisms, but usually did not lead to antibiotic de-escalation. Increasing UAT and narrowing therapy after a positive UAT result are opportunities for improved antimicrobial stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated for acute respiratory tract infections yet are nonetheless prescribed in outpatient care. Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common diagnosis in direct-to-consumer telemedicine. The objective of this study was to characterize use of corticosteroids for acute respiratory tract infections in this setting and to assess the association between corticosteroid receipt and patient satisfaction.Methods: Encounters with acute respiratory tract infection patients 18 years and older on a nationwide direct-to-consumer telemedicine platform were conducted by physicians between July 2016 and July 2018. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to assess differences in the odds of corticosteroid prescription. A second mixed-effects model assessed differences in patient satisfaction by corticosteroid or antibiotic receipt. Adjusted prescribing rates for individual physicians were estimated. Models included diagnoses, patient age and geographic region, physician specialty and geographic region, and antibiotic prescription.Results: Of the 85,972 encounters with 465 physicians, 11% resulted in the physician prescribing corticosteroids. The median physician prescribing rate was 4.0% (range: <1%-81%). Corticosteroid receipt was associated with higher satisfaction versus receiving nothing (odds ratio: 2.54; 95% confidence interval: 2.25-2.87). Patients who received both an antibiotic and a corticosteroid reported the highest satisfaction (odd ratio: 3.91; 95% confidence interval: 3.27-4.68). There was no correlation between individual physicians' corticosteroid and antibiotic prescribing rates.Conclusions: Corticosteroid receipt was associated with patient satisfaction. Most physicians rarely prescribed corticosteroids, yet a small number prescribed them frequently. Identification of high-prescribing physicians for educational interventions could reduce use of corticosteroids for acute respiratory tract infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Inappropriate antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) is an ongoing problem in primary care. There is extreme variation in the prescribing practices of individual physicians, which cannot be explained by clinical factors.Objective: To identify factors associated with high and low prescriber status for management of URTIs in primary care practice.Design and Participants: Exploratory sequential mixed-methods design including interviews with primary care physicians in a large health system followed by a survey. Twenty-nine physicians participated in the qualitative interviews. Interviews were followed by a survey in which 109 physicians participated.Main Measures: Qualitative interviews were used to obtain perspectives of high and low prescribers on factors that influenced their decision making in the management of URTIs. A quantitative survey was created based on qualitative interviews and responses compared to actual prescribing rates. An assessment of self-prescribing pattern relative to their peers was also conducted.Results: Qualitative interviews identified themes such as clinical factors (patient characteristics, symptom duration, and severity), nonclinical factors (physician-patient relationship, concern for patient satisfaction, preference and expectation, time pressure), desire to follow evidence-based medicine, and concern for adverse effects to influence prescribing. In the survey, reported concern regarding antibiotic side effects and the desire to practice evidence-based medicine were associated with lower prescribing rates whereas reported concern for patient satisfaction and patient demand were associated with high prescribing rates. High prescribers were generally unaware of their high prescribing status.Conclusions and Relevance: Physicians report that nonclinical factors frequently influence their decision to prescribe antibiotics for URTI. Physician concerns regarding antibiotic side effects and patient satisfaction are important factors in the decision-making process. Changes in the health system addressing both physicians and patients may be necessary to attain desired prescribing levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common reason for seeking care via direct to consumer (DTC) telemedicine, yet patterns of care, including antibiotic prescribing, have not been reported.Objective: To describe management of UTI in a large nationwide DTC telemedicine platform.Design: Cross-sectional observational study.Participants: Patients seeking care for or diagnosed with UTI via DTC telemedicine between July 2016 and July 2018.Main Measures: Patient measures included age, sex, geographic region, satisfaction with care, and patient-reported call reason. High-risk patients were defined as males, patients over 65 years, or those diagnosed with pyelonephritis. Physician measures included specialty and geographic region. Antibiotic prescription was assessed overall and by antibiotic type. Variation in antibiotic prescriptions was assessed by patient and physician factors, including geographic region of both parties.Key Results: Of the 20,600 patients diagnosed with a UTI during the study period, 96% were female. Most (84%) stated their call reason was a UTI. Overall, 94% of UTI patients received an antibiotic; 56% got nitrofurantoin, 29% got trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 10% got a quinolone. Receipt of an antibiotic was associated with higher satisfaction with care (p < 0.001). While nitrofurantoin was the most common antibiotic for all physician regions, antibiotic type varied by physician region. Of the 6% of the study population defined as high risk, 69% received an antibiotic: 72% of males, 91% of women over 65, and 21% of patients diagnosed with pyelonephritis.Conclusions: Management of UTI via DTC telemedicine appears to be appropriate for average-risk patients, and most are able to self-diagnose. Most patients received guideline-concordant care, but over half of high-risk patients received antibiotics. DTC telemedicine offers convenient, low-cost care that is generally appropriate. Efforts should be made to ensure high-risk patients get proper follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Randomized trials suggest that assessment of serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels can be used to safely limit antibiotic use among patients hospitalized for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Objectives: To determine the impact of PCT testing on antibiotic treatment of patients hospitalized for exacerbations of COPD in routine practice.Methods: We conducted a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal multivariable analyses using data from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2014 from a sample of 505 U.S. hospitals.Results: Of 203,177 patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation in 2013 to 2014, nearly 9 out of 10 were treated with antibiotics. Hospital PCT testing rates ranged from 0 to 83%. In cross-sectional analysis, there was a weak negative association between the rate of PCT testing and risk-adjusted rates of antibiotic initiation (Spearman correlation, -0.12; P = 0.005); each 10-point increase in the percentage of patients undergoing PCT testing was associated with a 0.7% decline in risk-adjusted antibiotic use (P = 0.001). There was no association between hospital rates of PCT testing and duration of antibiotic treatment. In a longitudinal analysis, comparing treatment patterns in 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2014, we did not observe a significant difference in the change in antibiotic treatment rates or duration of therapy between hospitals that had adopted PCT testing compared with those that had not.Conclusions: As currently implemented, PCT testing appears to have had little impact on decisions to initiate antibiotic therapy or on duration of treatment for COPD exacerbations. Implementation research is necessary to translate the promising outcomes from PCT testing observed in randomized trials into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of physician-patient relationship factors, such as physician empathy and burnout, on antibiotic prescribing has not been characterised.Aim: To assess associations between physician empathy and burnout and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in primary care.Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study of primary care practices in the Cleveland Clinic Health System in the US.Method: Patient and prescribing data were obtained from the medical record. All patients with primary diagnoses of ARIs from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2013, except those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or who were immunocompromised, were included. Physician empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy while physician burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The relationship between empathy and burnout and antibiotic prescribing, adjusted for patient and provider characteristics, was analysed using multiple linear regression.Results: In 5937 ARI visits to 102 primary care physicians, the median proportion resulting in antibiotic prescribing was 48.6% (interquartile range [IQR] 24.1% to 70.0%). Neither physician empathy (correlation coefficient [β] 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.001 to 0.010, P = 0.07) nor any burnout measures were significantly associated with antibiotic prescribing: emotional exhaustion (β 0.001, 95% CI = -0.005 to 0.006, P = 0.79), tendency to depersonalise patients (β -0.009, 95% CI = -0.021 to 0.003, P = 0.13), and sense of personal accomplishment (β -0.004, 95% CI = -0.014 to 0.006, P = 0.44).Conclusion: The authors found no significant association between empathy or burnout measures and antibiotic prescribing for ARIs in primary care. Other physician characteristics should be investigated to explain individual variation in antibiotic prescribing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the link between antibiotic therapy and outcomes in patients treated with steroids while hospitalized due to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). The study involved patients admitted to acute care hospitals in the U.S. Lower mortality was observed in patients treated with antibiotics compared with those who did not receive antibiotics. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of late ventilation risk.

The article discusses a study which compared the results of patients treated with antibiotics in the first 2 hospital days with those treated later or not at all. The retrospective cohort study involved patients in the U.S. aged 40 years or older who were admitted to the hospital from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007. The researchers found that patients treated with antibiotic agents had a higher rate of readmissions for Clostridium difficile. The association between early antibiotic administration and improved outcomes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of management strategies for dysuria in different office settings.Design: Decision and cost-effectiveness analyses, assuming the payer's perspective. Data on disease prevalence, test characteristics, treatment efficacy, and adverse effects were drawn from the English language literature using medline searches and bibliographies.Setting: Hypothetical primary care practice.Patients: Otherwise healthy, nonpregnant women with symptoms of dysuria, urgency, and frequency.Interventions: All reasonable combinations of urinalysis, urine culture, pelvic examination, chlamydia and gonorrhea cultures, and empiric treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.Results: The cost-effectiveness of strategies varied substantially among different patient settings. In all settings, empiric trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for all patients was least expensive and least effective. Most testing increased both cost and effectiveness. Compared to empiric antibiotics, performing pelvic examination and urine culture for women with normal urinalyses had a marginal cost-effectiveness ratio of $4 to $32 per symptom-day avoided (SDA). Adding urine culture for patients with pyuria had a marginal cost of $34 to $107 per SDA, which fell to $40/SDA when the prevalence of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole exceeded 40%. Pelvic examination and urine culture for all patients regardless of urinalysis results achieved the greatest benefit but at the highest cost (>$300 per SDA).Conclusions: In otherwise healthy women with symptoms of dysuria and no vaginal complaints, performing pelvic exam and urine culture based on urinalysis offers a reasonable alternative to empiric therapy. Other testing may be warranted, depending on antibiotic resistance and the value of avoiding a day of dysuria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several letters to the editor are presented in response the article "Antibiotic Therapy and Treatment Failure in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease," by M. B. Rothberg and colleagues, published in previous issue, including a comment on the methods used in the study, a clarification on the impact of immortal time bias on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, and a response from the authors.

Objectives: Compare the clinical practice and outcomes in severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) patients to those in non-sCAP patients using guideline-defined criteria for sCAP.Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.Setting: One hundred seventy-seven U.S. hospitals within the Premier Healthcare Database.Patients: Hospitalized adult (≥ 18 yr old) patients with pneumonia.Measurements and Main Results: Adult patients (≥ 18 yr old) with a principal diagnosis of pneumonia or a secondary diagnosis of pneumonia paired with a principal diagnosis of sepsis or respiratory failure were included. Patients with at least one guideline-defined major criterion for severe pneumonia were compared with patients with nonsevere disease. Among 154,799 patients with pneumonia, 21,805 (14.1%) met criteria for sCAP. They had higher organ failure scores (1.9 vs 0.63; p < 0.001) and inpatient mortality (22.0 vs 5.0%; p < 0.001), longer lengths of stay (8 vs 5 d; p < 0.001), and higher costs ($20,046 vs $7,543; p < 0.001) than those with nonsevere disease. Patients with sCAP had twice the rate of positive blood cultures (10.0% vs 4.5%; p < 0.001) and respiratory cultures (34.2 vs 21.1%; p < 0.001) and more often had isolates resistant to first-line community-acquired pneumonia antibiotics (10% of severe vs 3.1% of nonsevere; p < 0.001). Regardless of disease severity, Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen recovered from blood cultures and Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas species were the most common pathogens recovered from the respiratory tract. Although few patients with sCAP had cultures positive for a resistant organism, 65% received vancomycin and 42.8% received piperacillin-tazobactam.Conclusions: sCAP patients had worse outcomes and twice the rate of culture positivity. S. aureus and S. pneumoniae were the most common organisms in respiratory and blood specimens, respectively. Although only recommended for sCAP patients, nearly all pneumonia patients received blood cultures, a quarter of nonsevere patients received sputum cultures, and treatment with broad-spectrum agents was widespread, indicating fertile ground for antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a common reason for direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine consultation. Antibiotic prescribing during video-only DTC telemedicine encounters was explored for pediatric RTIs. METHODS: Encounter data were obtained from a nationwide DTC telemedicine platform. Mixed-effects regression was used to assess variation in antibiotic receipt by patient and physician factors as well as the association between antibiotic receipt and visit length or patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Of 12 842 RTI encounters with 560 physicians, antibiotics were prescribed in 55%. The provider was more likely to receive a 5-star rating from the parent when an antibiotic was prescribed (93.4% vs 80.8%). A 5-star rating was associated with a prescription for an antibiotic (odds ratio [OR] 3.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.84 to 4.02), an antiviral (OR 2.56; 95% CI 1.81 to 3.64), or a nonantibiotic (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.58 to 2.36). Visit length was associated with higher odds of a 5-star rating only when no antibiotic was prescribed (OR 1.03 per 6 seconds; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06). Compared with nonpediatricians, pediatric providers were less likely to prescribe antibiotics (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.68); however, pediatricians received higher encounter satisfaction ratings (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.03). CONCLUSIONS: During DTC telemedicine consultations for RTIs, pediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics, which correlated with visit satisfaction. Although pediatricians prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate than other physicians, their satisfaction scores were higher. Further work is required to ensure that antibiotic use during DTC telemedicine encounters is guideline concordant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Inappropriate antibiotic use for respiratory tract infection (RTI) is an ongoing problem linked to the emergence of drug resistance and other adverse effects. Less is known about the prescribing practices of individual physicians or the impact of physician prescribing habits on patient outcomes. We studied the prescribing practices of providers for acute RTIs in an integrated health system, identified patient factors associated with receipt of an antibiotic and assessed the relation between providers' adjusted prescribing rates and a number of patient outcomes.Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of adults with an RTI visit to any primary care providers across the Cleveland Clinic Health System in 2011-2012. Patients with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or immunocompromised status were excluded. Logistic regression was used to examine patient factors associated with receipt of an antibiotic.Results: Of 31,416 patients with an RTI, 54.8% received an antibiotic. Patient factors associated with antibiotic prescribing included white race (odds ratio [OR] 1.35, P < 0.001), presence of fever (OR 1.66, P < 0.001), and a diagnosis of bronchitis (OR 10.98, P < 0.001) or sinusitis (OR 33.85, P < 0.001). Among 290 providers with ≥10 RTI visits, adjusted antibiotic prescribing rates ranged from 0% to 100% (mean 49%). Antibiotics were prescribed more often for sinusitis (OR 33.85, P < 0.001), bronchitis (OR 10.98, P < 0.001), or pharyngitis (OR 1.76, P < 0.001) compared with upper respiratory tract infection. Patients who were prescribed antibiotics at the index visit were more likely to return for RTI within 1 year (adjusted OR 1.26, P < 0.001). Emergency department visits for respiratory complications were rare and not associated with antibiotic receipt.Conclusions: Antibiotic prescribing for RTI varies widely among physicians and cannot be explained by patient factors. Patients prescribed antibiotics for RTI were more likely to return for RTI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]