Table 3.
Number of patients seen at least once in an emergency room setting for a diagnosis of “upper respiratory infection,” with the number and percentage of those receiving an antibiotic during the encounter
| 2010–2013 | 2014–2017 | 2018–2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 18+ | |||
| All patients with ED visit for URI | 18,881 | 95,598 | 179,140 |
| Number of patients with ED visits for URI with antibiotic ordering (%, 95% confidence interval) | 8,694 (46.1%; 45.3–46.8) | 27,001 (28.2%; 28.0–28.5)a | 38,327 (21.3%; 21.2–21.6) |
| Age < 18 | |||
| All patients with ED visit for URI | 70,499 | 244,563 | 333,714 |
| Number of patients with ED visits for URI with antibiotic ordering (%, 95% confidence interval) | 13,377 (19.0%; 18.7–19.3) | 30,826 (12.6%; 12.5–12.7)b | 32,482 (9.7%; 9.7–9.9) |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; ED, emergency department; NMHACS, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey; URI, upper respiratory tract infection.
a
Comparable estimates based on NHAMCS data are 32.0 (95% CI: 22.0–43.5).
b
Comparable estimates based on NHAMCS data are 10.1 (95% CI: 7.4–13.9).
Note: Antibiotic usage was based on 1,861 RxNorm codes that code for antibiotics (noted in supplementary material).