Value in Primary Care: Evidence from the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network

Abstract

Primary care antimicrobial stewardship programs are virtually non-existent. Using electronic medical record (EMR) data for an interrupted time series study, the authors examined the relationship between antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and the COVID-19 pandemic. The main outcome of the study was to gauge the proportion of RTI encounters with an antibiotic prescription. The pre-pandemic RTI antibiotic prescribing rate was 27.8%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, prescribing dropped significantly by 9.4% (p < 0.001). Almost 750,000 fewer patients could potentially avoid receiving an antibiotic prescription for RTI. The authors also discuss the value of EMR data; their use can help develop insights for health system improvement.