A systematic review and meta-analysis of misuse of antibiotic therapies in the community

Misuse of antibiotic therapy can have a profound negative impact both on individuals and on the community. The objective of this meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of antibiotic misuse in terms of non-compliance with therapy or reuse of leftover antibiotics in the community. Of 2848 screen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of antimicrobial agents Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 106 - 113
Main Authors Kardas, Przemyslaw, Devine, Scott, Golembesky, Amanda, Roberts, Craig
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Elsevier B.V 01.08.2005
Amsterdam Elsevier
New York, NY
Subjects
Adherence
Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Antibiotic Prophylaxis
Antibiotics
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Biological and medical sciences
Community Health Services
Compliance
Drug Prescriptions
Drug Resistance, Microbial
Humans
Medical sciences
Meta-analysis
Misuse
Patient Compliance - psychology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Physicians, Family
Substance-Related Disorders
Adherence
Misuse
Compliance
Antibiotics
Meta-analysis
Antibiotic
Treatment
Systematic review
Antibacterial agent
Adhesion
Metaanalysis
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Summary:Misuse of antibiotic therapy can have a profound negative impact both on individuals and on the community. The objective of this meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of antibiotic misuse in terms of non-compliance with therapy or reuse of leftover antibiotics in the community. Of 2848 screened articles, 46 contained the required information on the number of participants, the number compliant/using leftovers and the measurement technique. Mean compliance with antibiotics was 62.2% (95% confidence interval (CI), 56.4–68.0%) and mean use of leftover antibiotics was 28.6% (95% CI, 21.8–35.4%). Although variation in the methods resulted in substantial heterogeneity in the estimates, results were generally consistent by region and measurement technique. Patient education and simpler antibiotic regimens should be encouraged to promote responsible use of antibiotic therapy.
ISSN:0924-8579
1872-7913
DOI:10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2005.04.017