Validation of an algorithm to evaluate the appropriateness of outpatient antibiotic prescribing using big data of Chinese diagnosis text

Association of outpatient fluoroquinolone prescribing with the National Medical Products Administration announcements of label changes in China

BACKGROUND

In 2017 and 2021, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) announced to revise the drug label of fluoroquinolones. We aimed to evaluate the association of fluoroquinolone prescribing with the NMPA announcements of label changes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Monthly prevalence of fluoroquinolone prescriptions for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTI), acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (AECB), and acute sinusitis (AS) between 2016 and 2022 was calculated, and interrupted time series analysis was applied to assess the impacts of NMPA label changes on fluoroquinolone use.

RESULTS

Prevalence of fluoroquinolone prescriptions decreased by 2.39% (95% CI, -4.72% to -0.07%) for uUTI but increased by 3.02% (95% CI, 1.71% to 4.34%) for AS immediately after the 2017 label change. Moreover, after the 2021 label change, fluoroquinolone use decreased shortly in all the three indications. However, a significant increasing trend was observed in fluoroquinolone use for AECB episodes, and fluoroquinolons were used for 61.4% of treated uUTI, 31.6% of treated AECB, and 5.42% of treated AS at the end of 2022, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The label changes issued by the NMPA had no substantial impacts on fluoroquinolone prescribing in the study region in China. Fluoroquinolone prescribing was still highly prevalent for uUTI and AECB and thus requiring further antimicrobial stewardship.

Prevalence of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing with or without a Plausible Antibiotic Indication among Safety-Net and Non-Safety Net Populations

BACKGROUND

Clinicians can prescribe antibiotics inappropriately without coding the indication for antibiotics. Whether the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with or without a plausible indication differs between safety-net and non-safety-net populations is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To assess differences in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with or without a plausible indication between safety-net and non-safety net populations.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

PARTICIPANTS

Office visits in the 2016, 2018, 2019 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey with ≥ 1 antibiotic prescription among children (0-17 years) and adults (18-64 years).

MAIN MEASURES

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with a plausible indication (visits with infection-related diagnosis codes that do not warrant antibiotics, e.g., acute bronchitis); inappropriate prescribing without a plausible indication (visits with codes that are not antibiotic indications, e.g., hypertension). By age group, we used linear regression to assess differences between safety-net (public/no insurance) and non-safety net populations (privately insured), controlling for patient and visit characteristics.

KEY RESULTS

Analyses included 67,065,108 and 122,731,809 weighted visits for children and adults, respectively. Among visits for children in the safety-net and non-safety populations, the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with a plausible indication was 11.7% and 22.0% (adjusted difference: -8.0%, 95% CI: -17.1%, 1.0%); the prevalence of inappropriate prescribing without a plausible indication was 11.8% and 8.6% (adjusted difference: -2.0%, 95% CI: -4.6%, 0.6%). Among visits for adults in the safety-net and non-safety populations, the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with a plausible indication was 12.1% and 14.3% (adjusted difference: -0.1%, 95% CI -9.4%, 9.1%); the prevalence of inappropriate prescribing without a plausible indication was 48.2% and 32.3% (adjusted difference: 12.5%, 95% CI: 3.6%, 21.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with or without a plausible antibiotic indication is common in all populations, highlighting the importance of broad-based antibiotic stewardship initiatives. However, targeted initiatives focused on improving coding quality in adult safety-net settings may be warranted.

Appropriate use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections at primary healthcare facilities in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study from 2017 to 2019

Background

The appropriateness of antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in Chinese primary healthcare facilities (PHFs) remained uncertain. We aimed to evaluate to what degree antibiotic prescribing for ARIs were aligned with guideline recommendations in primary settings across China.

Methods

We collected outpatient prescriptions from 262 Chinese PHFs in 27 cities of six provinces between 2017 and 2019. The appropriate antibiotic prescribing was defined as prescribing antibiotic classes that were recommended by Chinese clinical guidelines, if patients were prescribed antibiotics. We evaluated the magnitude of antibiotics prescribed for acute upper respiratory infections (AURIs), acute bronchitis, and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and their appropriateness.

Findings

Overall, 55.1% (87,684/159,150), 66.8% (30,836/46,153), and 68.5% (4615/6733) of outpatients with AURIs, acute bronchitis, and CAP treated at PHFs in China were prescribed with antibiotics. Of all antibiotic prescriptions, only 20.0% (17,542/87,684), 18.6% (5724/30,836) and 69.6% (3211/4615) used antibiotic classes that were recommended by the guidelines for AURIs, acute bronchitis, and CAP, respectively. Patients residing in the Chinese central region (17.0%, 15.4%, 69.3% for AURIs, acute bronchitis, and CAP, respectively) were less likely to be prescribed with antibiotics that were appropriately selected.

Interpretation

Unnecessary antibiotics were widely prescribed for patients with AURIs or acute bronchitis and most patients with ARIs did not receive guideline-recommended antibiotic classes in Chinese PHFs. Interventions to promote evidence-based treatment and the appropriate use of antibiotics are urgently needed at the primary level across China.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 72074007, 81973294].

Clinical Uncertainty Influences Antibiotic Prescribing for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Qualitative Study of Township Hospital Physicians and Village Doctors in Rural Shandong Province, China

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore how clinical uncertainty influences antibiotic prescribing practices among township hospital physicians and village doctors in rural Shandong Province, China.

METHODS

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 township hospital physicians and 6 village doctors from rural Shandong Province, China. A multi-stage random sampling method was used to identify respondents. Conceptual content analysis together with Colaizzi's method were used to generate qualitative codes and identify themes.

RESULTS

Three final thematic categories emerged during the data analysis: (1) Incidence and treatment of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) in township hospitals and village clinics; (2) Antibiotic prescribing practices based on the clinical experience of clinicians; (3) Influence of clinical uncertainty on antibiotic prescribing. Respondents from both township hospitals and village clinics reported that URTIs were the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions at their facilities and that clinical uncertainty appears to be an important driver for the overuse of antibiotics for URTIs. Clinical uncertainty was primarily due to: (1) Diagnostic uncertainty (establishing a relevant diagnosis is hindered by limited diagnostic resources and capacities, as well as limited willingness of patients to pay for investigations), and (2) Insufficient prognostic evidence. As a consequence of the clinical uncertainty caused by both diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty, respondents stated that antibiotics are frequently prescribed for URTIs to prevent both prolonged courses or recurrence of the disease, as well as clinical worsening, hospital admission, or complications.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that clinical uncertainty is a key driver for the overuse and misuse of prescribing antibiotics for URTIs in both rural township hospitals and village clinics in Shandong province, China, and that interventions to reduce clinical uncertainty may help minimize the unnecessary use of antibiotics in these settings. Interventions that use clinical rules to identify patients at low risk of complications or hospitalization may be more feasible in the near-future than laboratory-based interventions aimed at reducing diagnostic uncertainty.

Current Status and Prospect of Qualitative Assessment of Antibiotics Prescriptions

Identifying inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for infectious diseases by monitoring the quality of antibiotics use is essential for effective implementation of antibiotic stewardship. Qualitative assessment of the use of antibiotics has been conducted in some countries, including Korea, since the 2000s. The qualitative assessment generally involves an assessment of each component of the antibiotics prescription process, based on specific criteria. However, there is no standardized assessment method or cycle, and infectious diseases or antibiotics included in the assessments vary from country-to-country. According to the results reported in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Korea so far, approximately 20 - 55% of all antibiotics prescriptions are inappropriate. In this review, we describe the current progress in the quality assessment of the use of antibiotics on a global scale. Further, we highlight the future directions to improve antibiotic stewardship activities and the quality assessment of the use of antibiotics in Korea.

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary healthcare facilities in China: a nationwide survey, 2017-2019

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to generate comprehensive estimates of the appropriateness of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions at primary healthcare facilities (PHFs) in China.

METHODS

Between 2017 and 2019, we collected outpatient-visit prescriptions from 269 Chinese PHFs in 31 cities located in 6 provinces. Conditions that resulted in antibiotic use were classified into appropriate, potentially appropriate, and inappropriate using a well-established classification approach. We then assessed the magnitude, appropriateness, and costs of antibiotic prescribing, overall and by antibiotic classification group, diagnostic categories, and patient characteristics.

RESULTS

Of all eligible 209 662 antibiotic prescriptions, 147 758 (70.5%) were inappropriate, which accounted for 66.8% (558.0/835.3 thousand US dollars) of costs for antibiotics. Upper respiratory tract infections, acute bronchitis, and non-infectious gastroenteritis were responsible for 68.9% (101 744/147 758) of inappropriately antibiotic prescriptions. High inappropriate antibiotic prescribing rates were observed among children aged 0-5 years (78.5% (21 049/26 799)) and patients living in economically undeveloped areas (77.5% (38 430/49 587)). A total of 256 474 individual antibiotics were prescribed, of which 82.2% (210 885/256 474) were broad-spectrum antibiotics, with second-generation cephalosporins (15.1% (38 705/256 474)) and third-generation cephalosporins (14.6% (37 491/256 474)) being the most commonly prescribed subgroups.

DISCUSSION

Our findings highlight the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in Chinese PHFs pending multidimensional efforts.

Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescriptions in Chinese Primary Health Care and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Typically Descriptive and Longitudinal Database Study in Yinchuan City

Background: The appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions in primary care has not been well evaluated in China in recent years. Furthermore, the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on antibiotic prescriptions has not yet been investigated in China. We aimed to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions and to evaluate the potential association between the COVID-19 pandemic and antibiotic prescriptions in primary care settings of Yinchuan, a city in China.

Methods: This study included 155 primary care institutions and 10,192,713 outpatient visits. Outpatient prescriptions were classified as appropriate, potentially appropriate, inappropriate, or not linked to any diagnosis for antibiotic use following a validated evaluation scheme. Interrupted time-series analyses were performed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic prescriptions in Chinese primary care facilities.

Results: During the study period, 1,287,678 (12.6%, 95% confidence interval [12.6–12.7]) of 10,192,713 outpatient visits in primary care resulted in antibiotic prescriptions. Among 1,287,678 antibiotic prescriptions, 653,335 (50.7% [50.6–50.9]) were inappropriate, 463,081 (36.0% [35.8–36.1]) were potentially appropriate, 171,056 (13.3% [13.1–13.5]) were appropriate, and 206 could not be linked to any diagnosis. Furthermore, patient, physician, and institutional factors were associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions; there was an overall decreasing trend in the proportions of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, with the highest level in 2017 (67.1% [66.8–67.5]) and the lowest in 2021 (40.8% [40.3–41.3]). A total of 1,416,120 individual antibiotics were prescribed, of which 1,087,630 (76.8%) were broad-spectrum and 777,672 (54.9%) were classified in the World Health Organization’s “Watch” category. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes of −2.8% (−4.4 to −1.3) in the level and 0.3% (0.2–0.3) in the monthly trend of antibiotic prescription rates, as well as changes of −5.9% (−10.2 to −1.5) in the level and 1.3% (1.0–1.6) in the monthly trend of the proportions of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.

Conclusion: More than half of the antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate during the study period in primary care in Yinchuan. The COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with a decrease in the overall and inappropriate use of antibiotics in primary care settings in China.

Appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions in ambulatory care in China: a nationwide descriptive database study

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate antibiotic use greatly accelerates antimicrobial resistance. The appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions is well evaluated, using big observational data, in some high-income countries, whereas the evidence of this appropriateness is scarce in China. We aimed to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions in ambulatory care settings in China to inform future antimicrobial stewardship.

METHODS

We used data from the Beijing Data Center for Rational Use of Drugs, which was a national database designed for monitoring rationality of drug use. 139 hospitals that uploaded diagnosis and prescription information were included from 28 provincial-level regions of mainland China. Outpatient prescriptions were classified as appropriate, potentially appropriate, inappropriate, or not linked to any diagnosis for antibiotic use by following a published classification scheme. Antibiotic prescription rates for various diagnosis categories and proportions of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for different subgroups were estimated. Antibiotic prescribing patterns and proportions of individual antibiotics prescribed for different diagnosis categories were analysed and reported.

FINDINGS

Between Oct 1, 2014, and April 30, 2018, 18 848 864 (10·9%) of 172 704 117 outpatient visits ended with antibiotic prescriptions. For conditions for which antibiotic use was appropriate, potentially appropriate, and inappropriate, 42·2%, 30·6%, and 7·6% of visits were associated with antibiotic prescriptions, respectively. Of all 18 848 864 antibiotic prescriptions, 9 689 937 (51·4%) were inappropriate, 5 354 224 (28·4%) were potentially appropriate, 2 893 102 (15·3%) were appropriate, and 911 601 (4·8%) could not be linked to any diagnosis. A total of 23 266 494 individual antibiotics were prescribed, of which 18 620 086 (80·0%) were broad-spectrum and the top four most prescribed antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins (5 056 058 [21·7%]), second-generation cephalosporins (3 823 410 [16·4%]), macrolides (3 554 348 [15·3%]), and fluoroquinolones (3 285 765 [14·1%]).

INTERPRETATION

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing was highly prevalent nationwide in China. Over half of the antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate in secondary-level and tertiary-level hospitals, suggesting an urgent need for outpatient antibiotic stewardship aimed at optimising antibiotic prescribing to achieve the goals set in China's 2016 national action plan to contain antimicrobial resistance.

FUNDING

The National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Antibiotic Prescriptions among China Ambulatory Care Visits of Pregnant Women: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic use in pregnant women at the national level has rarely been reported in China.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy in ambulatory care settings in China.

METHODS

Data of 4,574,961 ambulatory care visits of pregnant women from October 2014 to April 2018 were analyzed. Percentages of Antibiotic prescriptions by different subgroups and various diagnosis categories and proportions of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for different subgroups were estimated. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pregnancy categories were used to describe the antibiotic prescription patterns. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the Clopper--Pearson method or Goodman method.

RESULTS

Among the 4,574,961 outpatient visits during pregnancy, 2.0% (92,514 visits; 95% CI, 2.0-2.0%) were prescribed at least one antibiotic. The percentage of antibiotic prescriptions for pregnant women aged >40 years was 4.9% (95% CI, 4.7-5.0%), whereas that for pregnant women aged 26-30 years was 1.5% (95% CI, 1.4-1.5%). In addition, percentages of antibiotic prescriptions varied among different trimesters of pregnancy, which were 5.4% (95% CI, 5.3-5.4%) for the visits in the first trimester of pregnancy and 0.5% (95% CI, 0.4-0.5%) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Furthermore, the percentages of antibiotic prescriptions substantially varied among different diagnosis categories and nearly three-quarters of antibiotic prescriptions had no clear indications and thus might be inappropriate. In total, 130,308 individual antibiotics were prescribed; among these, 60.4% (95% CI, 60.0-60.8%) belonged to FDA category B, 2.7% (95% CI, 2.1-3.5%) were classified as FDA category D and 16.8% (95% CI, 16.2-17.4%) were not assigned any FDA pregnancy category.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic prescriptions in ambulatory care during pregnancy were not highly prevalent in mainland China. However, a substantial proportion of antibiotics might have been prescribed without adequate indications. Antibiotics whose fetal safety has not been sufficiently illustrated were widely used in pregnant women.

Outpatient antibiotic use associated with acute upper respiratory infections in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The assessment of antibiotic use for acute upper respiratory infections (AURIs) is important to promote the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing. Evaluation of antibiotic prescriptions for AURIs at a national level is very limited in China.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for AURIs in Chinese hospitals.

METHODS

This study used data from over 10 million outpatient and emergency department visits for AURIs, which contained information on drug prescription and diagnosis, from 94 cities and 28 provinces of mainland China. Antibiotic prescription rates for various subgroups and potential predictors of antibiotic use were estimated. Patterns of antibiotic prescriptions and proportions of individual antibiotics prescribed for different types of AURIs were analysed and reported.

RESULTS

In total, 10 770 219 outpatient visits for AURIs were included in this study. Of these, 40.8% (95% confidence interval 40.7-40.8%) resulted in antibiotic prescriptions. Patient characteristics, including age, gender, payment type, AURI type, department and season of visit, were significantly associated with antibiotic prescriptions for AURIs. In total, 4 984 744 antibiotic agents were prescribed, of which 87.9% were broad-spectrum antibiotics and only 36.8% were prescribed in line with the guideline recommendations. Azithromycin (13.2%), cefdinir (11.7%), cefixime (8.3%) and cefaclor (8.2%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for AURIs in China.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic prescribing for patients with AURIs in outpatient settings was prevalent nationwide in China. Antibiotic stewardship efforts targeting specific populations in outpatient settings are needed to reduce antibiotic use and promote appropriate antibiotic selection for AURIs in China.