LONDON, September 11 /PRNewswire/ --

GPs prescribing antibiotics often rely on their personal preferences and
experience, rather than clinical evidence, says new research launched at the
British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester. The risk associated
with this behaviour is that the drug prescribed may be unnecessary or
inappropriate, increasing the potential for antibiotic resistance and adding
costs to the Primary Care Trust (PCT), pharmacists at Liverpool's John
Moore's University concluded. Researchers investigated whether GPs were
adhering to local PCT guidelines for infection control when prescribing
certain specialist and expensive antibiotics (co-amoxiclav and
clarithromycin). They also compared results to those of a similar 2005 study.
Guidelines say these drugs should only be used as the first-line treatment
for very few conditions, but the research found these drugs accounted for 15%
of all antibacterials prescribed in the study, and often for conditions not
included in the PCT guidelines. 80% of antibiotics prescribed in the UK are
in primary care. Doctors find antibiotic therapy difficult because of
perceived pressure from patients to prescribe antibiotics that GPs don't
believe are clinically justified, set against their worry about failure to
treat the small number of cases which lead to serious complications.(1)
Following the 2005 research, some education and information support on
antibacterial prescribing was provided to GPs. The PCT is also introducing a
computer software package that highlights to GPs drug therapy alternatives
and potentially better drug therapy choices. Rachel Aspinall who led the
research, said: "There are serious risks associated with prescribing based on
preference and experience - it can lead to the chosen drug being
inappropriate or completely unnecessary. Reference number: Practice 70
"Inappropriate prescribing can also reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics
for patients who may need them in the future, and potentially lead to
complete antibiotic resistance. So, it's important GPs are given more support
in prescribing. Pharmacists are experts in medicines, and therefore ideally
placed to provide support of this kind to ensure all patients receive the
best possible healthcare."

Notes to Editors Research investigated aforementioned drugs prescribed
within 13 GP practices in a Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the North West of
England in December 2006. Information regarding the indication for use and
length of the course was retrieved from patient records on the medical
information system. This repeats the method used for the December 2005 data
collection, to which the results were then compared. The practices served a
population of 87,644 patients and 4,429 prescriptions were issued for an
antibacterial drug in December 2006, compared to 4,676 prescriptions in 2005.
Of the antibacterial drugs prescribed, 414 were for co-amoxiclav, 142 for
clarithromycin and 130 were for any one of the 4-quinolone drugs. The
investigation considered the antibacterials co-amoxiclav, clarithromycin and
all drugs belonging to the 4-quinolone class of antibacterials. Reference
number: Practice 70 The British Pharmaceutical Conference - entitled "The
medicines maze: balancing risks and benefits" - takes place from 10th to 12th
September, 2007, at Manchester Central (formerly Manchester International
Convention Centre). The theme of BPC 2007 is reflected throughout the
programme, with keynote speeches and workshops addressing crucial technical
and professional issues that are facing pharmacy today. The conference will
showcase the latest developments in pharmaceutical science and practice
research and include discussion and debate led by expert speakers.

References

(1) National Prescribing Centre. Antibiotic Prescribing: a challenge for
primary care. MeReC Bulletin 2000; 11(5) 17-20.