Abstract
Rationale, aims and objectives This study aims to explore the relationship between doctor characteristics and prescribing behaviour for patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) using a 2-year population-based data set in Taiwan. Methods This study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Our study sample consists of first-time ambulatory care visits for treatment of UTIs among female patients between 2005 and 2006 (n = 45 934). The primary outcome studied was 'whether a broad-spectrum antibiotic was prescribed', and the key independent variables were 'doctor characteristics'. Doctor characteristics included gender, age (50), specialty, type (hospital-based vs. office-based) and practice location. Multivariate logistic regression analysis using generalized estimated equations was performed to assess the adjusted odds ratio of the doctors using broad-spectrum antibiotics. Results Among the sampled patients, 13.5% were prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics at their first visit for treatment of UTIs. The adjusted odds of prescribing second-line antibiotics for doctors aged between 41-50 years and >50 years were 0.80 (P <0.001) and 0.90 (P = 0.007) times, respectively, that of doctors aged
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1221-1226 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2010 |
Keywords
- broad-spectrum antibiotics
- prescribing behaviour
- urinary tract infections
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health Policy