Understanding the gender gap in antibiotic prescribing: a cross-sectional analysis of English primary care

BMJ Open
David R M SmithKoen B Pouwels

Abstract

To explore the causes of the gender gap in antibiotic prescribing, and to determine whether women are more likely than men to receive an antibiotic prescription per consultation. Cross-sectional analysis of routinely collected electronic medical records from The Health Improvement Network (THIN). English primary care. Patients who consulted general practices registered with THIN between 2013 and 2015. Total antibiotic prescribing was measured in children (<19 years), adults (19-64 years) and the elderly (65+ years). For 12 common conditions, the number of adult consultations was measured, and the relative risk (RR) of being prescribed antibiotics when consulting as female or with comorbidity was estimated. Among 4.57 million antibiotic prescriptions observed in the data, female patients received 67% more prescriptions than male patients, and 43% more when excluding antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infection (UTI). These gaps were more pronounced in adult women (99% more prescriptions than men; 69% more when excluding UTI) than in children (9%; 0%) or the elderly (67%; 38%). Among adults, women accounted for 64% of consultations (62% among patients with comorbidity), but were not substantially more likely than men to rece...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 22, 2020·Microbial Drug Resistance : MDR : Mechanisms, Epidemiology, and Disease·Wen-Qiang HeBette Liu
Jul 24, 2020·Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy·Gustavo Magno Baldin TigumanTais Freire Galvao
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Apr 23, 2021·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety·Evelyn KleinertAnne Simmenroth
Nov 16, 2019·International Journal of Infectious Diseases : IJID : Official Publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases·Hideki HashimotoShuji Hatakeyama

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