[Evolution of the outpatient antibiotic prescription between 2012 and 2018. Characteristics of the ABPresclín platform created for the analysis of antibiotic prescription in the health service of the Balearic Islands.]

Objective: One of the fist lines of action of the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN) is to monitor the use of antibiotics as a fundamental basis for the fight against resistance. In order to know the antibiotic prescription habits, we pretended to describe the outpatient prescription of systemic antibiotics in the Balearic Islands through exploitation of ABPresclín database.

Methods: It was an ecological descriptive study of the electronic outpatient prescriptions of systemic antibiotics of the Health Service of the Balearic Islands from 2012 to 2018. Combining the prescription with population information data by year and geographical area, prescription rates were obtained per 1,000 person, distributed by professional, health centres, geographical areas: distribution per patient characteristics, type of antibiotics and associated diagnoses.

Results: 3,517,101 prescriptions are analyzed with an average prescription period (TPp) per 1,000 person-years of 472.1. A quarter of the population received at least one prescription of antibiotics. TPp was higher in over 80 years (899.0) and in women (553.4). 68.9% of the prescription was made in primary care (AP) and 17.9% in out-of-hours settings. TPp in AP was 333.1, varying from 192.3 to 527.0, according to basic health areas. The TPp of the most commonly used antibiotics was: amoxicillin/clavulanic (143), amoxicillin (95.9), azithromycin (54.5), fosfomycin (41.5) and ciprofloxacin (29.7). The main associated diagnoses were: lower respiratory infections (16.5%), urinary infections (15%), non-infectious (15%), tonsillitis (14.3%) and upper respiratory infections (13%).

Conclusions: Balearic Islands have a relatively low antibiotic prescription rate with a marked variability between prescribers. Amoxicillin/clavulanic was the most prescribed antibiotic, with an increase in azithromycin. Respiratory infections were the main reason for prescription. ABPresclín is useful to promote better use of antibiotics.