Swiss doctors have prescribed more antibiotics during corona
Published: Monday, Dec 18th 2023, 11:20
Updated At: Monday, Dec 18th 2023, 11:20
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Doctors in Switzerland prescribed antibiotics twice as often in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic than before. These are the findings of a new study by the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel. This is despite the fact that antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the coronavirus, as the University of Basel emphasized in a press release on Monday.
According to the study published in the journal "Clinical Microbiology and Infection", the use of antibiotics doubled from around eight prescriptions per 100 consultations in 2017 to 16 antibiotic prescriptions per 100 consultations in 2020. The increase in prescriptions was therefore evident for all antibiotic classes, including those not primarily intended for the treatment of respiratory tract infections.
The researchers consider this to be worrying: the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics increases the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to the active substance used, explained study leader Heiner Bucher in the press release from the University of Basel. Multi-resistant bacteria lead to infections that are almost impossible to treat.
"For future viral pandemics, intervention plans with timely activation steps to minimize unwarranted antibiotic use in primary care should be established," the researchers wrote in the study.
Reason for increase
The researchers cited fear of additional bacterial complications in the event of a Covid-19 infection as a possible reason for the increase. A lack of diagnostic and treatment options for Covid-19 may also have played a role, as the University of Basel wrote in a press release.
However, according to the researchers, "blind prescribing", for example through telephone consultations, was not the main reason for the increase. The majority of prescriptions were made during consultations in the practice.
Study began in 2017
The researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel launched their study on antibiotic prescribing back in 2017, based on fully anonymized individual patient data from over two million health insurance policyholders of all age groups and doctors' billing data.
During the pandemic, they then used data from almost 3,000 pediatricians and general practitioners to investigate how prescribing behavior changed as a result of coronavirus.
In a next step, the research team wants to investigate whether prescribing practices have changed again in the years following the pandemic. In collaboration with the Swiss Center for Antibiotic Resistance, it also wants to find out how resistance is developing as a result of the increased use of antibiotics.
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