Acute sore throat in children at the emergency department: best medical practice?

Background Belgian antibiotic (AB) policy guidelines discourage the use of ABs in sore throat in otherwise healthy individuals; yet, 35% of all children with sore throat in our pediatric emergency department receive a prescription for ABs. Objective To identify factors influencing our physician’s prescription behavior. Patients and methods Using a retrospective study, we analyzed all medical records of children younger than 16 years of age diagnosed with sore throat (in 2009 and 2010). We included 1345 files. Results Children younger than 5 years of age received an AB prescription more easily (37.8 vs. 27.7%; P=0.0007). Children of White origin received less frequent ABs compared with non-Whites (31.6 vs. 37.8%; P=0.02). More ABs were prescribed during night shifts (38.7 vs. 31.8%; P=0.008). Physicians with a Belgian degree prescribed less frequently compared with those with a Dutch degree (23.4 vs. 46.4%; P<0.0001). Conclusion We find several ‘practical’ factors to have an influence on the AB prescription rate.

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