As part of its Medical Expenditure ...

As part of its Medical Expenditure Panel review the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examined the use of antibiotics to treat otitis media in children. These data appear in "Research Findings 23: trendings in Children's Antibiotic Use: 1996 to 2001" which is available online at: http:// www.meps.ahrq.gov/printproducts/print-prod_detail.asp?id=683.

According to the observe the proportion of children who were given antibiotics to treat ear infection caused by dint of otitis media declined from 144 percent in 1996 to 115 percent in 2001 and the average number of antibiotic prescriptions by means of child for any reason declined from 09 to 05 in the same time frame. common third of all antibiotics purchased for children are for the treatment of otitis media. These data prompt that campaigns initiated in the mid- 1990 through the Centers for Disease sway and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others to form the inappropriate use of antibiotics have been effective.

The contemplation also showed that the percent-age of children who used antibiotics for any reason from 1996 to 2001 declined from 39 to 29 percent Regardless of a child's age, race or ethnicity, sex household income, insurance status, health status, and geo-graphic location, a decline is apparent in the percentage of children using antibiotics and the average number of antibiotic prescriptions by child.

COPYRIGHT 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

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