Antibiotic Prescription for Children With Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Assiut District

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in pediatric care all over the world. Over prescription of antibiotics is a major public health problem and the most important factor in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. It is important to study physicians' antibiotic prescribing behavior to understand its determinant and for further planning of appropriate interventions to optimize antibiotic prescription.

Detailed Description
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Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in pediatric care all over the world. Over prescription of antibiotics is a major public health problem and the most important factor in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In Egypt, a recent study conducted in El-Minya governorate to investigate antibiotic use in PHC centres and in governmental hospitals, revealed that physician prescriptions of antibiotics for ARIs were extremely high as 82% of pediatric visits for ARIs resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Most of these infections are caused by viruses and do not require antibiotic treatment. Numerous interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices have been reported from various countries with varying results. No single intervention appears to have superior efficacy, but combinations of interventions are typically more effective, and strategies that target health care professionals and/or patients (or parents of young children) have achieved success at reducing antibiotic prescriptions for ARIs. Despite the emergence of antibiotic resistance and international efforts to reduce antibiotic use, prescription still high and inappropriate. Children are a vulnerable group and inappropriate antibiotic prescription may affect their health and may contribute to development of many diseases as allergies beside emergence of antibiotic resistance. Also, most of acute respiratory infections in children are viral infections and they receive antibiotic for it. So,, it is important to study physicians' antibiotic prescribing behavior to understand its determinant and for further planning of appropriate interventions to optimize antibiotic prescription.

Official Title
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Antibiotic Prescription for Children With Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Assiut District: An Exploratory Study.

Conditions
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Antibiotic Side Effect

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Antibiotic KAP questionnaire


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion criteria: Physicians dealing with pediatric cases. GPs, pediatrics, or otolaryngology (ENT) residents. Exclusion criteria: Physician who didn't work at outpatient clinics. Physicians who are specialized and hold a degree.
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Physicians<br>Physicians dealing with cases of pediatrics' acute URIs at PHC units either urban or rural, insurance hospitals or Assiut university hospitals. | Other: Antibiotic KAP questionnaire<br>* • Self-administered questionnaire will be used and containing following Physician information (age, sex, place of work, specialty, years of experience, place of work, and post graduate studies and trainings), Practice information (number of days for outpatient's practice/week, average number of patients /day and average percentage of children with ARIs/day), Antibiotic prescription practice (using of guidelines and causes of prescribing antibiotics in acute URIs), Knowledge about antibiotic resistance and attendance of any conference or educational activities concerned with antibiotic use during the last year, Attitude as regard antibiotic prescription.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Physicians knowledge of antibiotic resistance | By self administered questionnaire | 6 months | 
| Attitude and practice of physicians as regard antibiotic prescription in pediatric cases of acute upper respiratory tract infections. | By self administered questionnaire | 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Determinants of physicians' antibiotic prescribing behavior in cases of acute upper respiratory tract infection in children. | By self administered questionnaire | 6 months |