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Table 1 Characteristics of antibiotic overuse indicators and number of sites sampled, 2012–2013

From: Assessing the appropriateness of paediatric antibiotic overuse in Australian children: a population-based sample survey

 

No. of Sites

 

Condition

IndicatorID

Indicator Description

Age Inclusion Criteria

GP

Paed-iatrician

ED

Inpatient

Strength of Recommendationa

Acute Gastroenteritis

AGE22

Children with gastroenteritis and no signs of infection were not prescribed antibiotics.

0–15 years

74

NA

34

26

Consensus-based recommendation

Asthma

ASTH16

Children aged > 2 years who presented with an acute exacerbation of asthma and who received antibiotics had another condition requiring antibiotic therapy.

2–15 years

40

1

19

10

Consensus-based recommendation

Bronchiolitis

BRON25

Infants (aged < 12 months) with mild to moderate bronchiolitis caused by a viral infection were not prescribed antibiotics.

29 days - 11 months

54

NA

33

27

Grade B

Croup

CROU16

Children diagnosed with croup were not treated with antibiotics.

29 days - 15 years

71

NA

34

23

Consensus-based recommendation

Eczema

ECZE07

Children with atopic eczema and no signs of infection were not prescribed antibiotics.

0–15 years

72

18

23

10

Grade B

Fever

FEVE29

Children aged ≥3 years with a fever (over 38 °C), no clinical focus and who were well were not prescribed antibiotics.

3–15 years

32

#

27

7

Consensus-based recommendation

Otitis Media

OTIT05

Children with AOM aged ≥12 months who were mildly unwell were not prescribed antibiotics.

1–15 years

75

3

30

3

Grade B

Tonsillitis

TONS02

Children with a sore throat and with no other symptoms or signs of tonsillitis were not prescribed antibiotics.

29 days - 15 years

43

#

23

5

Grade A

TONS04

Children aged < 4 years with a sore throat and associated cough who did not require hospitalisation were not prescribed antibiotics.

29 days - 3 years

51

#

25

NA

Consensus-based recommendation

TONS07

Children who had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were not administered perioperative antibiotics.

29 days - 15 years

NA

NA

NA

5

Consensus-based recommendation

  1. Legend: ID identifier, GP general practitioner, ED emergency department, AOM acute otitis media
  2. aStrength of recommendation as reported in individual clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). CPGs used a variety of classification schemes for allocating Strength of Recommendation in Grades (with Grade A indicating the strongest recommendation in all classification schemes). If strength of recommendation, or Level of Evidence, were not specified in the CPG, the term “Consensus-based recommendation” was assigned
  3. # Specialist Paediatrician’s practices were sampled for visits for care of fever and tonsillitis, but only one and three records were found respectively, so this healthcare setting was removed prior to analysis