Analysis of non-hospital antibacterial pharmacotherapy in Poland.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to analyze the antibacterial drug consumption pattern in a 1-million-plus strictly defined population in Poland. We assessed outpatient antibiotic sales (ATC J01) in relation to patient age and season of the year, and sought to determine the group of patients with the most frequent recurrence of bacterial diseases. METHODS: The Lubuskie Regional Unit of the National Health Fund (NHF) and the Central Statistical Office (GUS) were the main sources of data. For the period 2002-2005, data on outpatient sales of antibiotics (ATC J01) in Lubuskie Province were collected and expressed in DDD (defined daily dose; World Health Organization anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC)/DDD version 2006) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). RESULTS: During the period 2002-2005, the average level of antibiotic use amounted to 19.8 DID in the Lubuskie population. During the 3-year period, 64.3% of the population was treated with antibiotics. This value varied for different age groups. Of the patients, 22.7% utilized 62.6% of a 3-year supply of antibiotic therapy in the province; a small 1.9% of the population used 10.0% of the supply. The seasonal variation of antibiotic consumption in different age groups showed a strong tendency to be flatter as the older age groups were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The data gained from the payers, i.e., the healthcare system, is a very valuable source of information for pharmacoepidemiological studies. Our study shows that seasonal variation in antibiotic use is strictly linked with the age of patients. Special attention should be paid to the relatively small group of patients that utilizes a significant percentage of the year's supply. We have established an effective way to present recurrence data (a map showing the infectious disease incidence). This could be a very useful tool for comparing antibiotic consumption in different countries.