Data on the use of antimicrobial drugs during office visits to office-based physicians are presented. Emphasis is placed on the types of drug used: penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides and lincosamides, tetracyclines, the sulfonamides and/or trimethoprim, and miscellaneous antimicrobial medications. The level of use of the various types of drug is assessed by comparing drug mention frequencies and rates. The characteristics of the drugs used also are investigated. Various aspects of the visits involving the use of these drugs are examined. These include the demographic characteristics of the patients who made the visits, patient complaints, diagnoses recoded, diagnostic and therapeutic services ordered or provided, patient disposition, and visit duration.

Bibliography: p. 30.

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Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection