Antibiotic stewardship in skin infections: A cross-sectional analysis of early-career GP's management of impetigo

Clare Heal; Hilary Gorges; Mieke L. Van Driel; Amanda Tapley; Josh Davis; Andrew Davey; L. Holliday; Jean Ball; Nashwa Najib; Neil Spike; Kristen Fitzgerald; Parker Magin

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527

Antibiotic stewardship in skin infections: A cross-sectional analysis of early-career GP's management of impetigo

Clare Heal, Hilary Gorges, Mieke L. Van Driel, Amanda Tapley, Josh Davis, Andrew Davey, L. Holliday, Jean Ball, Nashwa Najib, Neil Spike, Kristen Fitzgerald, Parker Magin

Global and Tropical Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: To establish the prevalence and associations of systemic antibiotic prescription for impetigo by early-career general practitioners (GPs) (GP registrars in their first 18 months in general practice).

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study.

Setting: ReCEnT is an ongoing multisite cohort study of Australian registrars' in-consultation clinical practice across five Australian states.

Participants: Registrars participating in ReCEnT from 2010 to 2017.

Outcome measures: Management of impetigo with systemic antibiotics.

Results: 1741 registrars (response rate 96%) provided data from 384 731 problems identified in 246 434 consultations. Impetigo, on first presentation or follow-up, was managed in 930 (0.38%, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.40) consultations and comprised 0.24% (95% CI 0.23 to 0.26) of problems. 683 patients presented with a new diagnosis of impetigo of which 38/683 (5.6%) were not prescribed antibiotics; 239/683 (35.0%) were prescribed solely topical antibiotics; 306/683 (44.8%) solely systemic antibiotics and 100/683 (14.6%) both systemic and topical antibiotics. The most common systemic antibiotic prescribed was cephalexin (53.5%). Variables independently associated with prescription of systemic antibiotics were an inner regional (compared with major city) location (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.13; p=0.028), seeking in-consultation information or advice (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.47 to 3.23; p<0.001) and ordering pathology (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.37 to 3.33; p=0.01).

Conclusions: Australian early-career GPs prescribe systemic antibiotics (the majority broad-spectrum) for a high proportion of initial impetigo presentations. Impetigo guidelines should clearly specify criteria for systemic antibiotic prescription and individual antibiotic choice. The role of non-antibiotic management and topical antiseptics needs to be explored further.

Original language	English
Article number	e031527
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Number of pages	9
Journal	BMJ Open
Volume	9
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527
Publication status	Published - Oct 2019

Access to Document

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527Licence: CC BY-NC

26021857-oaFinal published version, 459 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

@article{a01836f016bd4fe8a17e71168193164d,

title = "Antibiotic stewardship in skin infections: A cross-sectional analysis of early-career GP's management of impetigo",

abstract = "Objective: To establish the prevalence and associations of systemic antibiotic prescription for impetigo by early-career general practitioners (GPs) (GP registrars in their first 18 months in general practice). Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study. Setting: ReCEnT is an ongoing multisite cohort study of Australian registrars' in-consultation clinical practice across five Australian states. Participants: Registrars participating in ReCEnT from 2010 to 2017. Outcome measures: Management of impetigo with systemic antibiotics. Results: 1741 registrars (response rate 96%) provided data from 384 731 problems identified in 246 434 consultations. Impetigo, on first presentation or follow-up, was managed in 930 (0.38%, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.40) consultations and comprised 0.24% (95% CI 0.23 to 0.26) of problems. 683 patients presented with a new diagnosis of impetigo of which 38/683 (5.6%) were not prescribed antibiotics; 239/683 (35.0%) were prescribed solely topical antibiotics; 306/683 (44.8%) solely systemic antibiotics and 100/683 (14.6%) both systemic and topical antibiotics. The most common systemic antibiotic prescribed was cephalexin (53.5%). Variables independently associated with prescription of systemic antibiotics were an inner regional (compared with major city) location (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.13; p=0.028), seeking in-consultation information or advice (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.47 to 3.23; p<0.001) and ordering pathology (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.37 to 3.33; p=0.01). Conclusions: Australian early-career GPs prescribe systemic antibiotics (the majority broad-spectrum) for a high proportion of initial impetigo presentations. Impetigo guidelines should clearly specify criteria for systemic antibiotic prescription and individual antibiotic choice. The role of non-antibiotic management and topical antiseptics needs to be explored further.",

keywords = "antibiotic stewardship, general Practice, impetigo",

author = "Clare Heal and Hilary Gorges and {Van Driel}, {Mieke L.} and Amanda Tapley and Josh Davis and Andrew Davey and L. Holliday and Jean Ball and Nashwa Najib and Neil Spike and Kristen Fitzgerald and Parker Magin",

year = "2019",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527",

language = "English",

volume = "9",

pages = "1--9",

journal = "BMJ Open",

issn = "2044-6055",

publisher = "British Medical Journal Publishing Group (BMJ Publishing)",

number = "10",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Antibiotic stewardship in skin infections

T2 - A cross-sectional analysis of early-career GP's management of impetigo

AU - Heal, Clare

AU - Gorges, Hilary

AU - Van Driel, Mieke L.

AU - Tapley, Amanda

AU - Davis, Josh

AU - Davey, Andrew

AU - Holliday, L.

AU - Ball, Jean

AU - Najib, Nashwa

AU - Spike, Neil

AU - Fitzgerald, Kristen

AU - Magin, Parker

PY - 2019/10

Y1 - 2019/10

N2 - Objective: To establish the prevalence and associations of systemic antibiotic prescription for impetigo by early-career general practitioners (GPs) (GP registrars in their first 18 months in general practice). Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study. Setting: ReCEnT is an ongoing multisite cohort study of Australian registrars' in-consultation clinical practice across five Australian states. Participants: Registrars participating in ReCEnT from 2010 to 2017. Outcome measures: Management of impetigo with systemic antibiotics. Results: 1741 registrars (response rate 96%) provided data from 384 731 problems identified in 246 434 consultations. Impetigo, on first presentation or follow-up, was managed in 930 (0.38%, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.40) consultations and comprised 0.24% (95% CI 0.23 to 0.26) of problems. 683 patients presented with a new diagnosis of impetigo of which 38/683 (5.6%) were not prescribed antibiotics; 239/683 (35.0%) were prescribed solely topical antibiotics; 306/683 (44.8%) solely systemic antibiotics and 100/683 (14.6%) both systemic and topical antibiotics. The most common systemic antibiotic prescribed was cephalexin (53.5%). Variables independently associated with prescription of systemic antibiotics were an inner regional (compared with major city) location (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.13; p=0.028), seeking in-consultation information or advice (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.47 to 3.23; p<0.001) and ordering pathology (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.37 to 3.33; p=0.01). Conclusions: Australian early-career GPs prescribe systemic antibiotics (the majority broad-spectrum) for a high proportion of initial impetigo presentations. Impetigo guidelines should clearly specify criteria for systemic antibiotic prescription and individual antibiotic choice. The role of non-antibiotic management and topical antiseptics needs to be explored further.

AB - Objective: To establish the prevalence and associations of systemic antibiotic prescription for impetigo by early-career general practitioners (GPs) (GP registrars in their first 18 months in general practice). Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study. Setting: ReCEnT is an ongoing multisite cohort study of Australian registrars' in-consultation clinical practice across five Australian states. Participants: Registrars participating in ReCEnT from 2010 to 2017. Outcome measures: Management of impetigo with systemic antibiotics. Results: 1741 registrars (response rate 96%) provided data from 384 731 problems identified in 246 434 consultations. Impetigo, on first presentation or follow-up, was managed in 930 (0.38%, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.40) consultations and comprised 0.24% (95% CI 0.23 to 0.26) of problems. 683 patients presented with a new diagnosis of impetigo of which 38/683 (5.6%) were not prescribed antibiotics; 239/683 (35.0%) were prescribed solely topical antibiotics; 306/683 (44.8%) solely systemic antibiotics and 100/683 (14.6%) both systemic and topical antibiotics. The most common systemic antibiotic prescribed was cephalexin (53.5%). Variables independently associated with prescription of systemic antibiotics were an inner regional (compared with major city) location (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.13; p=0.028), seeking in-consultation information or advice (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.47 to 3.23; p<0.001) and ordering pathology (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.37 to 3.33; p=0.01). Conclusions: Australian early-career GPs prescribe systemic antibiotics (the majority broad-spectrum) for a high proportion of initial impetigo presentations. Impetigo guidelines should clearly specify criteria for systemic antibiotic prescription and individual antibiotic choice. The role of non-antibiotic management and topical antiseptics needs to be explored further.

KW - antibiotic stewardship

KW - general Practice

KW - impetigo

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074281814&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527

DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031527

M3 - Article

C2 - 31662391

AN - SCOPUS:85074281814

SN - 2044-6055

VL - 9

SP - 1

EP - 9

JO - BMJ Open

JF - BMJ Open

IS - 10

M1 - e031527

ER -

Antibiotic stewardship in skin infections: A cross-sectional analysis of early-career GP's management of impetigo

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this