Attitudes of Spanish family physicians about preferences for using antibacterial drugs for patients diagnosed of having acute bronchitis

Abstract

Aim:

To know the attitudes of Spanish physicians related antibiotic use in different patterns of acute bronchitis.

Design:

A cross-sectional survey was set out in November during the Spanish Conference on Medicine Family held in Donosti (Basque Country).

Methods:

All the participants who filled up a questionnaire were given a present at the Aventis Pharma's stand at the Conference. They were asked if they would prescribe antibiotics in cases of acute bronchitis accompanied with high temperature, purulent sputum, uncertainty in the diagnosis and in the cases in which patients wanted with treatment antibiotic.

Results:

843 family doctors filled up the questionnaire and 35 inquiries were dropped out because of illegibility or non responses. Out of the 784 valid responses reported, 569 doctors preferred to use antibiotics in cases of acute bronchitis with a temperature higher than 38ºC (72.6%) -175 physicians strongly agreed with this sentence (22.3%)-, 662 preferred to use them in case of a purulent sputum (84.5%) - 234 strongly agreed (29.9)-, 131 stated that they would prescribe antibiotics when patients really wanted them (16.9%) and 603 would prescribed antibacterial agents in case of suspected pneumonia (77.7%) -115 strongly agreed with that sentence (14.8

Conclusions:

Despite the fact that antibiotics are ineffective in acute bronchitis many doctors would prescribe them mainly in cases of uncertainty and in cases of purulent sputum justifying the high consumption of antibiotics in our country.