January 11, 2021

Antibiotic Prescribing in Patients with COVID-19: Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): public health

A rapid review and meta-analysis (n=154 studies, 30,623 patients) concluded that three quarters of patients with COVID-19 received antibiotics, which was significantly higher than the prevalence of bacterial co-infection (8.6% from 31 studies). Antibiotic prescribing was lower in children (prevalence OR = 0.10) compared to adults, and higher with increasing patient age (OR 1.45 per 10 year increase) and with increasing proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation (OR 1.33 per 10% increase). 

Langford et al. (Jan 4, 2021). Antibiotic Prescribing in Patients with COVID-19: Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Microbiology and Infection.   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33418017/