Drug, Healthcare and Patient Safety (Nov 2021)
Overprescribing of Topical Ocular Corticosteroids and Antibiotics in Out-of-Hours Primary Care in Belgium
Abstract
Hans De Loof,1 Ellen De Win,1 Nathalie Moens,1 Veronique Verhoeven,2 Paul Van Royen,2 Elke O Kreps,3 Hilde Philips2 1Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 2Research Group, Primary and Interdisciplinary Care (ELIZA), Department Family Medicine and Population Health (FAMPOP) University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, BelgiumCorrespondence: Hans De LoofLaboratory of Physiopharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, B-2610, BelgiumTel +32 3 265 91 39Email [email protected]: Prescribing patterns by primary care physicians concerning ophthalmic problems were studied using the iCAREdata, a database containing information from the out-of-hours care setting in the Flanders region of Belgium. A very high percentage of prescribed ophthalmic medication was topical antibiotics (89.4%) with tobramycin as the most prevalent substance and in clear conflict with the prevailing guidelines. In addition, a very substantial fraction of prescribed medication contained corticosteroids (30.4%). This is a potentially unsafe option within the technical infrastructure of this setting, which limits the diagnostic possibilities concerning viral infections or preexisting glaucoma risk. We conclude that more efforts are required to limit unnecessary and inappropriate prescribing behavior to further promote patient safety.Keywords: antibiotics, conjunctivitis, drug utilization research, referral process
