Antiviral Prescribing by Office-Based Physicians During the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic
Authors: Adam L. Hersh, Randall S. Stafford
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Letters4 January 2011Antiviral Prescribing by Office-Based Physicians During the 2009 H1N1 PandemicAdam L. Hersh, MD, PhD and Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhDAdam L. Hersh, MD, PhDFrom University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, and Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.Search for more papers by this author and Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhDFrom University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, and Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-154-1-201101040-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Adherence to guidelines during public health emergencies is a national priority. Throughout the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic (1), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines recommending antiviral prescribing only to selected patients at high risk for complications, including patients younger than 2 years and patients 65 years or older, and not for prophylaxis (2). The extent to which antivirals were prescribed and how these practices differed from those in previous years is unknown.Methods and Findings: We used data from the National Disease and Therapeutic Index (NDTI), a nationally representative survey of visits to ambulatory physicians ...References1. Dawood FS, Jain S, Finelli L, Shaw MW, Lindstrom S, Garten RJ, et al; Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Investigation Team. Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:2605-15. [PMID: 19423869] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated interim recommendations for the use of antiviral medications inthe treatment and prevention of influenza for the 2009-2010 season. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/recommendations.htm on 2 June 2010. Google Scholar3. Hersh AL, Stefanick ML, Stafford RS. National use of postmenopausal hormone therapy: annual trends and response to recent evidence. JAMA. 2004;291:47-53. [PMID: 14709575] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Stafford RS, Drieling RL, Hersh AL. National trends in osteoporosis visits and osteoporosis treatment, 1988-2003. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:1525-30. [PMID: 15277283] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Stafford RS, Radley DC. The underutilization of cardiac medications of proven benefit, 1990 to 2002. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;41:56-61. [PMID: 12570945] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. FluView. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm on 31 May 2010. Google Scholar7. Hersh AL, Maselli JH, Cabana MD. Changes in prescribing of antiviral medications for influenza associated with new treatment guidelines. Am J Public Health. 2009;99 Suppl 2 S362-4. [PMID: 19797750] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Adam L. Hersh, MD, PhD; Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhDAffiliations: From University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, and Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.Disclaimer: The statements, findings, conclusions, views, and opinions contained and expressed in this article are based in part on data obtained under license from the National Disease and Therapeutic Index (2006 to 2010), IMS Health. The statements, findings, conclusions, views, and opinions contained and expressed herein are not necessarily those of IMS Health or any of its affiliated or subsidiary entities.Grant Support: By grant T32HD044331 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Dr. Hersh) and training grant K24HL086703 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Dr. Stafford).Disclosures: Dr. Stafford: Expert testimony: Mylan Pharmaceuticals. Grants/grants pending (money to institution): Toyo-Shinyaku, Procter & Gamble, Partnership for Prevention, Stanford University, American Heart Association, Wako Inc., GlaxoSmithKline. Grants/grants pending: University of Chicago. Honoraria: American Drug Utilization Review Society, American College of Preventive Medicine, Partnership for Prevention. Payment for manuscript preparation: Massachusetts Medical Society. Travel/accommodations/expenses covered or reimbursed: Partnership for Prevention, National Committee for Quality Assurance, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Heart Association, University of Chicago, IMS Health, Drug Information Association, Bayer. Dr. Hersh: Grants received (money to institution): National Institutes of Health. Consultancy: Colorado Guidelines Committee. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byTreatment With Neuraminidase Inhibitors for High-Risk Patients With Influenza: Why Is Adherence to Antiviral Treatment Recommendations So Low?Outpatient influenza antiviral prescription trends with influenza-like illness in the USA, 2008–2010Design and Implementation of a Statewide Influenza Nurse Triage Line in Response to Pandemic H1N1 InfluenzaDetection of oseltamivir sensitive/resistant strains of pandemic influenza A virus (H1N1) from patients admitted to hospitals in ThailandCommentary 4 January 2011Volume 154, Issue 1Page: 74-76KeywordsAntiviral therapyH1N1Health surveysHeartPhosphatesPrevention, policy, and public healthPreventive medicineProphylaxisTreatment guidelines ePublished: 4 January 2011 Issue Published: 4 January 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...