The number of antibiotics prescribed over the telephone is on the rise, according to a study in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
Researchers examined the antibiotic prescription practices at an undisclosed healthcare system of both teaching and non-teaching internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice and obstetrics/gynecology practices.
Of the 63,418 total prescribed antibiotics, 7,876 (12.4 percent) were prescribed over the phone. Additionally, the rate of telephone-based prescribing increased over the study period from 2.2 prescriptions per 100 patient-years to 4.2 prescriptions per patient years.
Researchers suggest the data indicate a need to consider the impact of telephone-based prescribing in future outcomes analysis. They also suggest incorporating telephone-based prescribing into appropriate antibiotic use guidelines.
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