Table 2.
Antibiotic Prescription Among Outpatient Encounters with Infection Diagnosis, NAMCS 2006–2010
| Characteristic | Encounters for any infection (n=8,307) | Encounters for respiratory infections (n=4,975) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rates, % | AOR (95% CI) | Rates, % | AOR (95% CI) | |
| All | 49.9 | 51.4 | ||
| Tobacco use status | ||||
| No | 48.7 | ref | 49.8 | ref |
| Yes | 55.2 | 1.20 (1.02, 1.42) | 57.8 | 1.31 (1.05, 1.62) |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 51.2 | ref | 52.9 | ref |
| Female | 48.9 | 0.92 (0.81, 1.05) | 50.7 | 0.98 (0.84, 1.14) |
| Race | ||||
| White | 51.1 | ref | 52.1 | ref |
| Black | 45.2 | 0.81 (0.66, 0.99) | 49.8 | 1.00 (0.75, 1.32) |
| Other | 38.8 | 0.56 (0.38, 0.82) | 41.1 | 0.60 (0.39, 0.93) |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 18–24 | 53.4 | ref | 51.7 | ref |
| 25–44 | 54.2 | 1.02 (0.80, 1.30) | 56.4 | 1.16 (0.86, 1.56) |
| 45–64 | 50.8 | 0.84 (0.67, 1.06) | 52.7 | 0.97 (0.73, 1.29) |
| ≥65 | 41.6 | 0.59 (0.46, 0.77) | 42.2 | 0.67 (0.48, 0.92) |
| Source of payment | ||||
| Private/other | 53.0 | ref | 54.9 | ref |
| Medicaid | 40.9 | 0.61 (0.47, 0.79) | 39.0 | 0.54 (0.39, 0.77) |
| Self-pay | 46.4 | 1.00 (0.85, 1.17) | 47.8 | 0.99 (0.80, 1.23) |
| Primary care physician | ||||
| No | 42.2 | ref | 43.7 | ref |
| Yes | 54.6 | 1.64 (1.39, 1.94) | 55.1 | 1.50 (1.21, 1.88) |
| Comorbid conditions | ||||
| Asthma | ||||
| No | 54.8 | ref | 60.3 | ref |
| Yes | 29.5 | 0.35 (0.30, 0.42) | 27.2 | 0.26 (0.21, 0.33) |
| Cancer | ||||
| No | 50.3 | ref | 51.7 | ref |
| Yes | 39.4 | 0.73 (0.52, 1.04) | 39.2 | 0.70 (0.42, 1.16) |
| COPD | ||||
| No | 49.5 | ref | 50.9 | ref |
| Yes | 52.5 | 1.24 (1.04, 1.47) | 53.6 | 1.13 (0.93, 1.39) |
| Diabetes | ||||
| No | 50.4 | ref | 51.7 | ref |
| Yes | 45.5 | 0.89 (0.71, 1.12) | 49.2 | 0.97 (0.72, 1.29) |
Note: Boldface indicates statistical significance (p<0.05).
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NAMCS, National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.