Antibiotic prescription before and after rapid antigen detection test (RADT) for beta-hemolytic streptococci

Year 2019, Volume: 5 Issue: 3, 540 - 544, 04.05.2019

Baki Derhem , Süleyman Özsarı , Selman Erturhan

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.376503

Abstract

Objectives:
Acute
pharyngo-tonsillitis is one of the diseases that pediatricians and general practitioners
most frequently experienced and only a small percentage of patients (20%-30% of
pediatric patients, even less in adults) are actually suffering from
pharyngo-tonsillitis by group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS). Also three quarters of pharyngitis patients
have been treated with inappropriate antibiotics even these patients have viral
infections. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the rapid
antigen detection test (RADT) on the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions
amongst patients with sore throat at a primary health care center in rural
area.

Methods: Retrospective
Cohort Study was designed to compare antibiotic prescription in patients with
sore throats in two groups, one with the use of RADT and other with the clinical desicions
of physicians. The x² test was used between two nominal variables to
assess the impact of RADT on antibiotic prescription. For comparison of more
than two independent variables, the ANOVA test was used and to identify the
differences between groups, the Post-Hoc test was processed.

Results: Of the 580 patients, the
avarage age of the study population was 25.8 years old while the median age was
21 years (min.=3, max.=65). There was a significant difference between two
groups who had tested with RADT or not in terms of antibiotic prescription (p < 0.001). There was a significant
difference between 3-14 years of age and 15-44 years of age (p = 0.001) as well as 3-14 years of age
and 45-65 years of age (p = 0.009),
however there was no significant difference between 15-44 and 45-65 years of
age (p = 1.00).

Conclusions: Using the RADT is truly
effective in reducing the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions in our
setting. We believe that, the tools like RADTs which are quickly results and
easy to use are really useful in practising (particularly in rural area).

Keywords

Rapid antigen detection test, Streptococcus, sore throat, antibiotic prescription

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