Relationships Between Diagnosis, Bacterial Isolation, and Antibiotic Prescription in Out Patients With Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms in Rural Anhui, China.

OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to explore the direct associations of antibiotics prescription with clinical diagnosis and bacterial detection. It also analyses the relations of clinical diagnosis with symptoms and bacterial detection, with a hope of revealing indirect links to antibiotic prescription. METHODS: The study was implemented in one village clinic and one township health center in each of four rural residential areas in Anhui Province, China. Observations were conducted to record clinical diagnosis and antibiotic prescription. A semi-structured questionnaire survey was used to collected patients' sociodemographic information and reported symptoms. Sputum and throat swabs were collected for bacterial culture. RESULTS: Among 1,068 patients presenting in the study settings who received a diagnosis of respiratory tract infection (RTI), 87.8% of prescriptions included an antibiotic and 35.8% included two or more antibiotics. Symptomatic RTI patients to the site clinics were diagnosed mainly as having upper respiratory tract infection (32.0%), bronchitis/tracheitis (23.4%), others (16.6%), pharyngitis (11.1%), common cold (8.0%), pneumonia/bronchopneumonia (4.6%) and tonsillitis (4.3%). These clinical diagnosis were associated with symptoms to a varied degree especially for upper respiratory tract infection and bronchitis/tracheitis. Prescription of any antibiotics was positively associated with diagnosis of bronchitis/tracheitis (OR: 5.00, 95% CI: 2.63-9.51), tonsillitis (OR: 4.63, 95% CI: 1.48-14.46), pneumonia/bronchopneumonia (OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.40-13.04), pharyngitis (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.57-6.59) and upper respiratory tract infection (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.75-5.27). Prescription of two or more antibiotics was statistically significant related to diagnosis of bronchitis/ tracheitis (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.44-3.35) or tonsillitis (OR: 2.97, 95% CI: 1.47-6.00). About 30% of the patients were identified with some type of bacteria. Bacteria detection was linked with pharyngitis (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28-0.88) but not prescription of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics prescription were found with a strong relation to diagnosis of RTIs given by the clinician but was not associated with the presence of bacteria in patient samples. Part of the diagnosis may have been given by the clinician to justify their antibiotics prescription. There is clear need to use additional measures (e.g., symptoms) in conjunction with diagnosis to supervise or audit excessive antibiotics use.

The impact of COVID-19 on primary health care and antibiotic prescribing in rural China: qualitative study

IntroductionPrimary health care (PHC) system is designated to be responsible for epidemic control and prevention during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, while COVID-19 suspected cases in PHC are required to be transferred to specialist fever clinics at higher level hospitals. This study aims to understand to impact of COVID-19 on PHC delivery and antibiotic prescribing at community level in the rural areas of central China. MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 PHC practitioners and seven patients recruited from two township health centres (THCs) and nine village clinics (VCs) in two rural residential areas of Anhui province. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. ResultsPractitioners and patients views and perspectives on COVID-19 impacts on PHC services and antibiotic prescribing are organised into four broad themes: switch from PHC to epidemic prevention and control, concerns and challenges faced by those delivering PHC, diminished PHC, and COVID-19 as a different class of illness. ConclusionThe COVID-19 epidemic has had a considerable impact on the roles of rural PHC clinics in China that shifted to public health from principal medical, and highlighted the difficulties in rural PHC including inadequately trained practitioners, additional work and financial pressure, particularly in VCs. Antibiotic prescribing practices for non-COVID-19 respiratory tract infections remained unchanged since the knowledge of COVID-19 was not seen as relevant to practitioners antibiotic treatment practices, although overall rates were reduced because fewer patients were attending rural PHC clinics. Since COVID-19 epidemic control work has been designated as a long-term task in China, rural PHC clinics now face the challenge of how to balance their principal clinical and public health roles and, in the case of the VCs, remain financially viable.