Original scientific paper
Prescribing Antibiotics to Preschool Children in Primary Health Care in Croatia
Stanislava Stojanović-Špehar
Sanja Blažeković-Milaković
Biserka Bergman-Marković
Marija Vrca-Botica
Ivana Matijašević
Abstract
The use of antibiotics depends on cultural and socioeconomic factors, physician’s characteristics as well as on microbiological
considerations. Aim of our study was to asses antibiotic prescription among preschool children in primary
health care in Croatia in relation to socioeconomic factors, symptoms and diagnoses, and type of health care provider.
Retrospective longitudinal survey was conducted in 7 teaching primary health care offices in the Croatian capital of
Zagreb during 2004, among 1700 preschool children. Antibiotics were prescribed to 611 (46%) children. Significantly
more antibiotics were prescribed to boys (66.7%, P=0.024) and to children whose parents had lower educational level.
Most frequently antibiotics were prescribed for the symptoms such as fever (32%), cough (32.5%), nasal discharge (12%),
and for the diagnoses such as respiratory diseases (J00-J99) (40%), infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-A99) (31%),
and diseases of the middle ear and mastoid (H60-H95) (15%). Logistic regression analyses also predicted correlation of
antibiotic prescriptions with socioeconomic factors, symptoms and diagnoses and health care of pediatrician. Prescription
of antibiotics for preschool children in primary health care in Croatia related to socioeconomic factors, type of health
care provider, certain symptoms and diagnosis groups which should be taken into account when assessing and planning
primary health care for preschool children.
Keywords
antibiotics; preschool children; primary health care; socioeconomic factors; symptoms; diagnosis
Hrčak ID:
22825
URI
Publication date:
8.5.2008.
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