Antibiotic prescription and knowledge about antibiotic costs of physicians in primary health care centers in Greece.

The aim of this questionnaire-based study is to investigate antibiotic prescription practices among primary health care physicians in Greece using the 2007 Hellenic Center for Diseases Control and Prevention guidelines as the gold standard. Seven case scenarios were used. A total of 527 physicians participated. The mean compliance rate with the first recommended antibiotic by the guidelines was 51%, ranging from 22.9% to 71.5% by scenario. Younger physicians and female physicians had higher scores of compliance.