Volume 9, Number 4—April 2003
Research
Antimicrobial-Drug Prescription in Ambulatory Care Settings, United States, 1992–2000
Linda F. McCaig*
, Richard E. Besser*, and James M. Hughes*
, Richard E. Besser*, and James M. Hughes*Table 1
Trends in annual antimicrobial drug prescribing rates at physicians’ offices by specialty—United States, 1992–2000
| Physician specialty | No. of antimicrobial drug prescriptions/1,000 visitsa |
% change since 1992 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | ||
| Pediatrics |
353
(310, 397) |
325 (276,374) |
302 (255,349) |
344 (304,384) |
340 (291,389) |
299 (262,336) |
218 (182,253) |
258 (202,314) |
235 (208,263) |
–33b |
| General/Family practice |
265 (232,298) |
226 (199,254) |
241 (216,267) |
231 (204,258) |
201 (178,225) |
207 (181,234) |
187 (164,209) |
188 (160,216) |
176 (148,204) |
–34b |
| Otolaryngology |
182 (141,223) |
218 (177,259) |
181 (146,217) |
197 (153,241) |
179 (147,210) |
189 (122,256) |
169 (135,203) |
162 (97,227) |
166 (128,205) |
–8 |
| Internal medicine |
139 (114,165) |
147 (117,178) |
143 (111,174) |
162 (137,187) |
147 (114,180) |
123 (97,149) |
142 (122,162) |
138 (104,173) |
116 (95,136) |
–17 |
| Dermatology |
138 (110,167) |
149 (124,173) |
140 (114,166) |
134 (107,161) |
116 (97,136) |
106 (75,137) |
112 (83,141) |
92
(70,114) |
133 (110,157) |
–4b |
| Urology |
118
(90, 145) |
129
(100,158) |
144
(117,172) |
158
(120,196) |
122
(85,159) |
153
(108,199) |
108
(84,133) |
131
(89,172) |
148
(123,172) |
+26 |
| General/Orthopedic
surgery |
40
(26,54) |
39
(26,51) |
30
(18,42) |
30
(20,40) |
39
(24,54) |
44
(24,64) |
14
(7,21) |
28
(12,44) |
22
(14,30) |
–45b |
| All others | 39 (28,49) | 51 (34,68) | 40 (31,49) | 50 (32,69) | 39 (26,51) | 37 (28,47) | 42 (30,53) | 30 (22,38) | 36 (27,45) | –6 |
a95% confidence interval.
bTrend is significant (p<.01).
