Volume 12, Number 11—November 2006
Research
Staphylococcus aureus–associated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in Ambulatory Care
Table 4
Average annual antimicrobial prescribing rates at ambulatory care visits for selected skin and soft tissue infections, by therapeutic subclass, United States*
| Therapeutic subclass† | 1992–1994 | 2001–2003 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. prescriptions/10,000 visits/y | 95% CI | No. prescriptions/10,000 visits/y | 95% CI | |
| All visits | 6,899.9 | 6431.5–7368.3 | 7,298.6 | 6870.7–7726.5 |
| Cephalosporins | 3,039.3 | 2,704.5–3374.1‡ | 3,558.3 | 3,191.2–3,925.4‡ |
| Penicillins | 1,098.7 | 826.1–1371.3 | 1,404.2 | 1,141.0–1,667.4 |
| Lincosamides and macrolides | 1,377.7 | 1,081.9–1673.5 | 668.7 | 508.6–828.8 |
| Quinolones | § | NA | 646.3 | 472.8–819.8 |
| Sulfonamides and related compounds, antibacterial agents, miscellaneous | 580.8 | 390.9–770.7 | 542.2 | 361.9–722.5 |
| Tetracyclines | 134.2 | 73.6–194.8 | 258.3 | 146.8–369.8
*CI, confidence interval; NA, not applicable. |
*CI, confidence interval; NA, not applicable.
†Therapeutic subclass is based on the standard 4-digit drug classification used in the National Drug Code Directory, 1985 and 1995 editions, respectively.
‡1992–1994 95% CI overlaps with 2001–2003 95% CI, but p<0.05.
§Does not meet standard of reliability or precision.