Table 2.
Patient/prescription characteristics and appropriateness
| Characteristic | Appropriate, n/N (%) | Inappropriate, n/N (%) | Percentage difference for inappropriate prescribing (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | |||
| <18 | 145/188 (77.1) | 43/188 (22.9) | 14.1% (7.2–21.0) |
| ≥18 | 495/785 (63.1) | 290/785 (36.9) | |
| Gender | |||
| female | 316/474 (66.7) | 158/474 (33.3) | 1.7% (−4.2–7.7) |
| male | 324/499 (64.9) | 175/499 (35.1) | |
| Patient disposition | |||
| discharged | 203/306 (66.3) | 103/306 (33.7) | 0.8% (−5.6–7.2) |
| admitted | 437/667 (65.5) | 230/667 (34.5) | |
| Triage category | |||
| 1 | 23/42 (54.8) | 19/42 (45.2) | 11.2% (−5.3–27.7) |
| 2 | 108/167 (64.7) | 59/167 (35.3) | 1.3% (−8.6–11.2) |
| 3 | 385/576 (66.8) | 191/576 (33.2) | 0.9% (−6.9–8.7) |
| 4/5 | 124/188 (66.0) | 64/188 (34.0) | (reference) |
| SIRS criteria meta? | |||
| yes | 134/196 (68.4) | 62/196 (31.6) | 6.9% (−1.0–14.8) |
| no | 279/454 (61.5) | 175/454 (38.5) | |
| qSOFA criteria meta? | |||
| yes | 13/30 (43.3) | 17/30 (56.7) | 20.5% (2.4–38.7) |
| no | 396/620 (63.9) | 224/620 (36.1) | |
| Reason for antibiotic administration | |||
| treatment | 541/812 (66.6) | 271/812 (33.4) | 5.1% (−3.1–13.3) |
| prophylaxis | 99/161 (61.5) | 62/161 (38.5) | |
| Time that antibiotic was prescribed | |||
| day shift | 374/559 (66.9) | 185/559 (33.1) | 0.6% (−7.3–8.5) |
| night shift | 120/181 (66.3) | 61/181 (33.7) | |
Values in bold indicate statistical significance.
a
SIRS and qSOFA criteria were only applied to patients over the age of 18 years who were prescribed antibiotics to treat presumed infection.