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EHR data reveal antibiotic prescription patterns

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 20, 2012

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The use of electronic health records for disease surveillance could help physicians determine when it’s appropriate to prescribe antibiotics, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine.

For the study, published Aug. 7, researchers from NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Ill., reviewed data from 28,000 patients who each saw a physician during flu seasons between 2006 and 2011. They identified patterns suggesting that context influenced a doctor’s prescribing decisions. For example, a physician’s likelihood of prescribing an antibiotic was associated with the number of cases of febrile respiratory illness the physician had recently seen.

Researchers concluded that electronic interventions, such as disease surveillance that enhance a doctor’s contextual awareness, may improve antibiotic use (link).

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/08/20/bibf0820.htm.

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