An annual antibiotic prescription rate of 506 per 1,000 population was estimated in the United States in 2010-2011 in a study published on JAMA. According to the authors, only 353 antibiotic prescriptions were likely appropriate, supporting the need for establishing a goal for outpatient antibiotic stewardship. Sinusitis, suppurative otitis media and pharyngitis were the diagnosis associated with the most antibiotic prescriptions. Only approximately half of the acute respiratory conditions were estimated to be appropriate for these conditions.
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