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Administration of first dose antibiotic in the ED in patients with minor skin and soft tissue infections.
- Source :
-
The American journal of emergency medicine [Am J Emerg Med] 2015 Sep; Vol. 33 (9), pp. 1225-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 May 29. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Background: Patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with mild skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are often given a single dose of an antibiotic before being discharged home on oral antibiotics. The objective of this study was to determine if administration of antibiotics in the ED increases length of stay.<br />Methods: This was cross-sectional study using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Patients with SSTIs who were discharged home with antibiotics were included. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on whether any antibiotics were administered in the ED. The ED length of stay was compared between the groups. A multivariate analysis was conducted to adjust for pertinent confounders.<br />Results: There were 3000895 cases of patients with SSTIs who presented to the ED and directly discharged home on antibiotic therapy from 2008 to 2010. Of these, 46.8% (n = 1403710) involved the administration of an antibiotic in the ED, whereas the others only received antibiotic prescriptions upon discharge. The mean ED length of stay was 83.8 ± 160.6 minutes with no antibiotics vs 112.2 ± 193.6 minutes for antibiotic use in the ED (P < .05). After adjusting for confounders, there was a 43% increase in ED length of stay associated with administration of first dose of antibiotics in the ED (exp[b] = 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.70; P < .001).<br />Conclusion: The administration of an antibiotic in the ED before discharge is associated with an increased ED length of stay in patients with SSTIs.<br /> (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Drug Administration Schedule
Female
Health Care Surveys
Humans
Length of Stay statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Outcome Assessment, Health Care
Patient Selection
Practice Patterns, Physicians' statistics & numerical data
Skin Diseases, Bacterial diagnosis
Skin Diseases, Bacterial epidemiology
Soft Tissue Infections diagnosis
Soft Tissue Infections epidemiology
United States epidemiology
Young Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents therapeutic use
Emergency Service, Hospital
Skin Diseases, Bacterial drug therapy
Soft Tissue Infections drug therapy
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1532-8171
- Volume :
- 33
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of emergency medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 26070237
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2015.05.035