Antibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Tract Infections and Encounter Length
Authors: Carl Llor, Marie Boël, Gloria Cordoba, Lars Bjerrum
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Letters16 July 2019Antibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Tract Infections and Encounter LengthCarl Llor, MD, PhD, Marie Boël, PhD, Gloria Cordoba, PhD, and Lars Bjerrum, PhDCarl Llor, MD, PhDUniversity Institute in Primary Care Research Jordi Gol, Barcelona, Spain (C.L.)Search for more papers by this author, Marie Boël, PhDChildren's Heart Centre and Paediatric Surgery, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden (M.B.)Search for more papers by this author, Gloria Cordoba, PhDUniversity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (G.C., L.B.)Search for more papers by this author, and Lars Bjerrum, PhDUniversity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (G.C., L.B.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L19-0263 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The use of telemedicine is promising and will probably increase access to health care, particularly in rural areas. Martinez and colleagues (1) found that the average duration of telemedicine encounters was shorter when antibiotics were prescribed. However, we do not believe that the results of their study, which analyzed patient visits through the direct-to-consumer telemedicine platform, can be extrapolated to the reality of primary care. The results were adjusted for the data registered during the visits, but some important characteristics—such as how serious clinicians judged the infection to be or whether the patient demanded antibiotics—were not reported.... References1. Martinez KA, Rood M, Jhangiani N, et al. Association between antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections and patient satisfaction in direct-to-consumer telemedicine. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178:1558-60. [PMID: 30285050] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4318 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Fleming-Dutra KE, Hersh AL, Shapiro DJ, et al. Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010-2011. JAMA. 2016;315:1864-73. [PMID: 27139059] doi:10.1001/jama.2016.4151 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Uscher-Pines L, Mulcahy A, Cowling D, et al. Antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175:1234-5. [PMID: 26011763] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.2024 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Martinez KA, Rood M, Jhangiani N, et al. Association between antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections and patient satisfaction in direct-to-consumer telemedicine. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178:1558-60. [PMID: 30285050] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4318 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Ashwood JS, Mehrotra A, Cowling D, et al. Direct-to-consumer telehealth may increase access to care but does not decrease spending. Health Aff (Millwood). 2017;36:485-91. [PMID: 28264950] doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1130 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University Institute in Primary Care Research Jordi Gol, Barcelona, Spain (C.L.)Children's Heart Centre and Paediatric Surgery, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden (M.B.)University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (G.C., L.B.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L19-0263. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAntibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Tract Infections and Encounter Length: An Observational Study of Telemedicine Kathryn A. Martinez , Mark Rood , Nikhyl Jhangiani , Adrienne Boissy , and Michael B. Rothberg Antibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Tract Infections and Encounter Length Kathryn A. Martinez and Michael B. Rothberg Metrics 16 July 2019Volume 171, Issue 2Page: 149-150KeywordsAntibacterialsAntibioticsDisclosureEpidemiologyHealth careRural areasTelemedicineUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 16 July 2019 Issue Published: 16 July 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...