Drug prescription in young children: results of a survey in France
- 1 January 1991
- journal article
- Published by Springer Nature in European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
- Vol. 41 (5) , 489-491
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00626376
Abstract
A 8.5-month prospective study was performed in the Rhône area of France to study the incidence of infectious diseases in children in day care, and the qualitative and quantitative aspects of drug prescriptions for young children. The families of 1.359 children agreed to participate (98.5% of those selected). During the follow-up period 3.605 infections episodes were reported and 10.706 medications were used, an average of 3.0 medications per episode. Antibiotics were used in the treatment of 2.333 infectious episodes (65%) amoxycillin (36%), cephalosporin (23%), macrolide (17%) and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (9%). Acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol were used 865- and 1.568-times, respectively. Drugs with multi-active components represented 11.3% of the total number of systemic medicines reported. Paracetamol was prescribed in 59% of cases in a multi-active component drug, whereas this type of product accounted for 83.5% of the antihistamines (used 932-times). The rationale behind the paediatric prescribing habits of French medical doctors is discussed in relation to results previously obtained in other European countries.Keywords
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Daycare attendance and risk of first infectious diseaseEuropean Journal of Pediatrics, 1991
- Drug utilization by children in Tenerife IslandEuropean Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1988
- Prescription Medications in Infancy and Early ChildhoodArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 1987
- The natural history of asthma in childhood.Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1986
- Measurement of Drug Utilization in Sweden: Methodological and Clinical ImplicationsActa Medica Scandinavica, 1984
- Middle Ear Disease and the Practice of PediatricsPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1983
- Diarrhea in day care centersThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 1982
- Prescribed medicines: who takes what?Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1980
- Quality of prescribing for children in general practice.BMJ, 1980
- The "Otitis-Prone" ConditionArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 1975