Reduced community antibiotic dispensing in New Zealand during 2015-2018: marked variation in relation to primary health organisation.

AIMS: The overall rate of community antibiotic dispensing in New Zealand in recent decades has been high when compared with many other nations, but since 2015 has consistently declined each year. We aimed to determine whether the magnitude of reductions in community antibiotic dispensing in New Zealand between 2015 and 2018 differed in relation either to the patient's demographic features or in relation to the primary health organisation of the patient's registered general practitioner.

METHODS

Demographic data on all patients registered with a general practice in New Zealand, and on all community pharmacy antibiotic dispensing for these patients during 2013-2018 were obtained from national healthcare databases. The rates of dispensing for patients registered with a general practitioner were measured as antibiotic courses dispensed per 1,000 population per day, and as defined daily doses per 1,000 population per day.

RESULTS

Total community antibiotic dispensing in New Zealand, measured as defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day, decreased by 13.8% during 2015-2018, an average annual reduction of 4.6% per year, with especially large reductions in dispensing of amoxicillin/clavulanate, fluoroquinolones and macrolides. The reductions in dispensing were greatest in children aged 0-4 years old, but lesser reductions were seen in all age groups. Antibiotic dispensing declined regardless of patient ethnicity or level of socioeconomic deprivation. There were marked differences between primary health organisations in the size of the reductions in antibiotic dispensing during 2015-2018, which ranged between 4.8% for the Te Tai Tokerau PHO to 21.5% for the Ngati Porou Hauora Charitable Trust PHO.

CONCLUSIONS

Total community antibiotic dispensing has reduced significantly in New Zealand between 2015 and 2018, with large disparities between primary health organisations in the size of the reductions. The overall rates of antibiotic dispensing remain high for non-Māori and non-Pacific people, and prescribers should aim to further reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for these populations. However, the overall rate of antibiotic dispensing for Māori and Pacific people may now approximate an optimal level. Prescribers should aim to further reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, but also to increase appropriate antibiotic prescribing for these populations.