OBJECTIVE: To compare the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing for upper @entity1729 ( @entity1729 ) in two countries with different prevalence of antimicrobial resistance: Denmark and Iceland. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS AND SUBJECTS: General practitioners (GPs) in Denmark (n   =   78) and Iceland (n   =   21) registered all @entity1 with URTI according to the Audit Project Odense (APO) method during a three-week period in the winter months of 2008 and 2009. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in @entity1 with URTI in Denmark and Iceland. RESULTS: A total of 1428 @entity1 were registered (Denmark: n   =   1208; Iceland: n   =   220). A majority of @entity1 in both countries were prescribed antibiotics, and only a minority of the prescriptions could be classified as appropriate prescribing. In general, Icelandic GPs more often prescribed antibiotics (Iceland   =   75.8% vs. Denmark   =   59.3%), but Danish GPs had a higher percentage of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for @entity1244 , and Icelandic GPs for pharyngotonsillitis. No differences were found for @entity697 ( @entity697 ). The different antibiotic prescribing patterns between Denmark and Iceland could not fully be explained by different symptoms and signs among @entity1 . CONCLUSION: Icelandic GPs have a higher antibiotic prescribing rate compared with Danish GPs, but the percentage of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is highest in Denmark for @entity1244 , and in Iceland for pharyngotonsillitis. Key points Within the Nordic countries there are marked differences in antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use. Iceland differs from Denmark by a higher antibiotic prescribing rate and a higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. The majority of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care and most often for @entity1729 ( @entity1729 ). Only a minor amount of antibiotic prescriptions for @entity1729 can be classified as appropriate; inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is higher in Denmark than in Iceland for @entity1244 and the opposite for pharyngotonsillitis. The different antibiotic prescribing patterns between Denmark and Iceland cannot be fully explained by different clinical criteria among @entity1 .

Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing for upper XXXX in general practice: Comparison between Denmark and Iceland.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity697 :: ('MESH:D000208', 'Disease') :: ['acute otitis media', 'AOM'] @entity1729 :: ('MESH:D012141', 'Disease') :: ['respiratory tract infections', 'upper respiratory infections', 'URTIs'] @entity1244 :: ('MESH:D012852', 'Disease') :: ['sinusitis']
@entity1729 :: (MESH:D012141,Disease) :: ['respiratory tract infections']
