Aim: Greece is among the European countries with the highest antibiotic consumption in the community. We investigated the antibiotic prescription practices by private-practice paediatricians, using the 2007 national guidelines for antibiotic use as the gold standard.
Methods: A standardized questionnaire was distributed to 520 private-practice pediatricians. There were 6 scenarios about common infections.
Results: A total of 124 pediatricians participated (23.8% response rate). Compliance with the first recommended antibiotic was 48% for streptococcal pharyngitis, 30.6% for community-acquired pneumonia, 12.4% for urinary tract infection, 67.8% for bacterial skin infection, 48.8% for acute otitis media, and 18.2% for bacterial pneumonia. The highest variation in antibiotic prescription concerned the community-acquired pneumonia scenario (11 antibiotics, including 6 beyond the guidelines). The overall mean compliance rate with the first recommended antibiotic was 37.4%. The mean compliance rates were 49.2%, 36.4%, 35.8%, and 27.5% in the <40, 41-50, 51-60, and >60 years age groups, respectively (P value<0.001).
Conclusion: Five years after the first guidelines about antibiotic use were issued in Greece, a wide range of antibiotic prescription practices by private-practice pediatricians was discovered, with only one every three pediatricians complying fully with them.