Chenega Enterprise Systems and Solutions, contractor on assignment to the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
CDC COVID-19 Response, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 2;73(3):e652-e660. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1896.
The objective of our study was to describe trends in US outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from January through May 2020 and compare with trends in previous years (2017-2019).
We used data from the IQVIA Total Patient Tracker to estimate the monthly number of patients dispensed antibiotic prescriptions from retail pharmacies from January 2017 through May 2020. We averaged estimates from 2017 through 2019 and defined expected seasonal change as the average percent change from January to May 2017-2019. We calculated percentage point and volume changes in the number of patients dispensed antibiotics from January to May 2020 exceeding expected seasonal changes. We also calculated average percent change in number of patients dispensed antibiotics per month in 2017-2019 versus 2020. Data were analyzed overall and by agent, class, patient age, state, and prescriber specialty.
From January to May 2020, the number of patients dispensed antibiotic prescriptions decreased from 20.3 to 9.9 million, exceeding seasonally expected decreases by 33 percentage points and 6.6 million patients. The largest changes in 2017-2019 versus 2020 were observed in April (-39%) and May (-42%). The number of patients dispensed azithromycin increased from February to March 2020 then decreased. Overall, beyond-expected decreases were greatest among children (≤19 years) and agents used for respiratory infections, dentistry, and surgical prophylaxis.
From January 2020 to May 2020, the number of outpatients with antibiotic prescriptions decreased substantially more than would be expected because of seasonal trends alone, possibly related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and associated mitigation measures.
我们的研究目的是描述 2020 年 1 月至 5 月美国门诊抗生素处方的趋势，并将其与前几年（2017-2019 年）的趋势进行比较。
我们使用 IQVIA Total Patient Tracker 的数据来估算 2017 年 1 月至 2020 年 5 月期间从零售药店开出的每月抗生素处方患者数量。我们平均了 2017 年至 2019 年的数据，并将预期的季节性变化定义为 2017 年至 2019 年 1 月至 5 月的平均百分比变化。我们计算了 2020 年 1 月至 5 月开出的抗生素处方患者数量超过预期季节性变化的百分点和数量变化。我们还计算了 2017 年至 2019 年与 2020 年每月开出的抗生素处方患者数量的平均百分比变化。数据总体以及按药物、类别、患者年龄、州和处方医生专业进行了分析。
从 2020 年 1 月至 5 月，开出抗生素处方的患者数量从 2030 万降至 990 万，超过了季节性预期下降 33 个百分点和 660 万患者。2017 年至 2019 年与 2020 年相比，最大的变化出现在 4 月（-39%）和 5 月（-42%）。阿奇霉素的患者数量在 2020 年 2 月至 3 月增加，然后减少。总体而言，超出预期的降幅最大的是儿童（≤19 岁）和用于呼吸道感染、牙科和手术预防的药物。
从 2020 年 1 月至 5 月，开出抗生素处方的门诊患者数量的大幅下降超过了季节性趋势的预期，这可能与 2019 年冠状病毒病大流行及其相关缓解措施有关。
