Table 2. Annual changes in antibiotic prescribing rates before and after implementation of the RDU Service Plan policy.
| % points (95% CI) | Pre-policy (fiscal years 2014 – 2016) | Post-policy (fiscal years 2017 – 2019) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline rate┼ | Trend (c) | Change in levels (fiscal year 2017) | Trend (d) | Change in trends (d – c) | |
| Respiratory infections | |||||
| Late adopters (a) | 45.2** (44.7, 45.7) | -1.8** (-1.5, -2.0) | -6.3** (-4.4, -8.2) | -5.1** (-3.4, -6.8) | -3.4** (-2.2, -4.6) |
| Early adopters (b) | 44.3** (40.6, 48.0) | -2.4* (-0.78, -4.0) | -4.1 (-8.9, 0.71) | -5.2** (-3.2, -7.2) | -2.8* (-0.23, -5.4) |
| Difference (a – b) | 0.88 (-2.9, 4.6) | 0.62 (-1.0, 2.2) | -2.2 (-7.7, 3.3) | 0.036 (-2.6, 2.7) | -0.58 (-3.7, 2.5) |
| Acute diarrhea | |||||
| Late adopters (a) | 47.6** (45.1, 50.1) | -2.4** (-1.3, -3.4) | -6.9** (-2.8, -11.0) | -6.4** (-3.4, -9.5) | -4.1** (-1.7, -6.5) |
| Early adopters (b) | 53.7** (51.7, 55.6) | -6.0** (-5.2, -6.9) | -0.51 (-4.8, 3.8) | -5.9** (-3.4, -8.4) | 0.14 (-2.5, 2.8) |
| Difference (a – b) | -6.1* (-10.1, 2.1) | 3.7** (1.9, 5.4) | -6.4 (-13.6, 0.85) | -0.54 (-4.5, 3.4) | -4.2 (-8.5, 0.077) |
| Fresh wounds | |||||
| Late adopters (a) | 64.50** (64.48, 64.51) | 0.28** (0.27, 0.29) | -3.0** (-0.82, -5.2) | -8.2** (-6.2, -10.2) | -8.5** (-7.1, -9.9) |
| Early adopters (b) | 65.5** (64.2, 66.8) | -1.6** (-1.1, -2.2) | -1.1 (-4.6, 2.5) | -8.0** (-5.8, -10.2) | -6.4** (-4.2, -8.6) |
| Difference (a – b) | -1.01 (-2.3, 0.27) | 1.9** (1.3, 2.4) | -1.9 (-6.6, 2.8) | -0.20 (-3.2, 2.8) | -2.1 (-5.1, 0.92) |
*
p<0.05;
**
p<0.01;
┼
Baseline rate was estimated as the regression intercept and presented in % (95%CI) while all other columns were presented as % points (95%CI). CI, confidence interval; RDU, rational drug use