Candice van der Merwe1,2 1Watlington Health Ltd, Norfolk, UK, 2UEA, Norfolk, UK 80% of antibiotic prescriptions are prescribed in the community. Prescribing compliance to the local PCT formulary, Health Protection Agency (HPA) and BNF recommendations is poor. Pharmacists could be more proactive in helping to improve antibiotic stewardship in the community. The development of antibiotic

resistance is a public health issue. With 80% of antibiotic prescriptions issued in primary care buy Etoposide it is important to understand the quality of prescribing in this setting. Whilst national and local guidance exists to support prescribing, the extent it is adopted is unknown. The aim of this audit was to identify antibiotic prescriptions for acute infections commonly treated in the community and to compare the prescribing of these antibiotics to the local PCT1 formulary and HPA2 recommendations. All acute antibiotic prescriptions issued at one medical practice in Norfolk, England over a 3 week period in March 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Following a pilot review the final details recorded

were age, sex, allergies, diagnosed condition, medication, strength, dose, duration and other relevant selleck screening library information e.g. pregnancy, swab results. Prescriptions were included if they were empirically prescribed for a new presentation of one of the specified conditions i.e. urinary tract infections, otitis media, rhino sinusitis, bronchitis/cough or tonsillitis/pharyngitis. Prescriptions were excluded if the antibiotic was recommended following culture and sensitivities, if there was a documented reason for the selection of an alternative treatment or for patients with any significant co-morbidity (e.g. COPD). Audit standards were 100% adherence to each PCT, HPA and BNF formulary recommended drug, dose, and course duration. Ethical approval was not required for this audit. 135 prescriptions were included in the audit, of these 92, 135 and 135 were compared to BNF, PCT and HPA guidance respectively.

Mirabegron The BNF does not contain treatment recommendations for bronchitis/cough hence the smaller sample size. Only 27% (95% CI 18 to 36), 26% (95% CI 19 to 34) and 13% (95% CI 7 to 18) of prescriptions met all standards in the BNF, PCT and HPA guidance. First line treatment choice was adhered to in at least 70% of prescriptions across all guidance. Course duration adherence varied across the different conditions being treated. For example rhino sinusitis had 100% adherence across all relevant guidance for 7 days treatment but otitis media, where the recommend course duration is only 5 days, had a 5.3% adherence across all formularies. Adherence to specific dose recommendations was 34.8% for the BNF formulary and 28.1% for the HPA formulary. The PCT formulary does not specify dosages but advises prescribers to consult the BNF.