Table 1. Characteristics of participating patients: Dutch region (Gelderland, Brabant, Limburg) and German region (North Rhine-Westphalia).
| Characteristic | Description | Dutch region | German region | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP outpatients | GP outpatients | Urologist outpatients | |||
| Total | Number | 513 | 261 | 200 | 461 |
| Mean age | Years | 58.3 | 50.3 | 57.8 | 53.6 |
| Female | Yes | 64.9% | 66.3% | 60.0% | 63.6% |
| Healthcare worker | Yes | 11.9% | 15.7% | 5.5% | 11.3% |
| Farmer | Yes | 3.3% | 3.8% | 0.0% | 2.2% |
| Hospitalized last 6 months | Yes | 15.8% | 16.1% | 30.0% | 22.1% |
| MRSA positive | Yes | 0.8% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 1.5% |
| Health reason for which antibiotics were prescribed in previous three months: | Urinary Tract Infection | 23.6% | 16.5% | 98.5% | |
| Respiratory Infection | 23.6% | 16.5% | 98.5% | 52.1% | |
| Sinusitis/pharyngitis/laryngitis | 35.6% | 44.8% | 0.5% | 25.6% | |
| Others | 10.4% | 26.4% | 0.0% | 15.0% | |
| 30.3% | 12.3% | 1.0% | 7.4% | ||
| Antibiotic 1 prescribed in previous three months: | Broad-spectrum penicillin | 11.1% | 5.7% | 0.5% | |
| Doxycycline/tetracycline | 29.3% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 3.5% | |
| TMP, SMZ and TMP/SMZ | 4.6% | 5.7% | 8.5% | 4.6% | |
| Macrolides | 7.9% | 27.6% | 0.0% | 6.9% | |
| Small-spectrum penicillin | 24.6% | 27.6% | 1.0% | 15.6% | |
| Fluoroquinolones | 21.4% | 12.6% | 75.0% | 16.1% | |
| Cephalosporines | 0.2% | 10.0% | 10.5% | ||
| Others | 0.6% | 4.6% | 2.0% | 3.5% | |
1 Based on the first-reported antibiotic (93% of patients reported only one antibiotic in the previous 3 months): Broad-spectrum penicillin (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid); Small-spectrum penicillin (benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin, feneticillin, flucloxacillin); Cephalosporines (cefuroxime, cefpodoxime, ceftibuten, cefixime), TMP (trimethoprim); SMZ (sulfamethoxazole)