Korean J Fam Med.  2022 Jul;43(4):231-240. 10.4082/kjfm.21.0139.

Inappropriate Topical Antibiotics Use in Clean Dermatological Procedures in South Korea in 2018: A Nationwide Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

• Park MS
• Kim KD
• Eun SJ

• KMID: 2532021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.21.0139

Abstract

Background
The use of topical antibiotics (TA) for prophylactic purposes after clean dermatologic procedures (CDP) is generally not recommended, and the prescription of TA needs to be individualized in consideration of each patient’s situation and underlying disease. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who underwent CDP in outpatient settings and were prescribed TA inappropriately, as well as the factors that may affect the prescription of TA.
Methods
Outpatient visits coded for CDP were selected using claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2018. Of these, patients receiving TA prescriptions were classified as having inappropriate TA use, and the proportion was estimated through technical analysis. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing inappropriate prescriptions.
Results
Data were analyzed using 423,651 visits, and TA was prescribed for approximately 1.9% of the visits. TA usage was higher among women (2.0%), 0–19 years of age (2.2%), medical aid (2.2%), clinic settings (2.4%), and metropolitan areas (2.0%). TA was prescribed more frequently in urology (8.6%), pediatrics (5.0%), and dermatology (4.2%) than in other specialties.
Conclusion
The prescription rate of TA after CDP was 1.9% using the 1.4 million patient sample from the national health insurance claims data in Korea, which is equally weighted to represent 50 million people. Although the proportion of inappropriate TA prescriptions in Korea is lower than that in other nations, it cannot be overlooked because of the large number of cases. Efforts to improve quality are required to reduce the number of inappropriate prescriptions.

Keyword

Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; Topical Anti-Infective Agents; Wound Healing; Surgical Site Infection