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How Well Do Pediatric Residents Do?

Sumathi Nambiar, MD; Richard H. Schwartz, MD; Michael J. Sheridan, ScD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:621-624.

Background  Antibiotics are often used inappropriately for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in children, and the emergence of resistant bacteria is a growing public health concern.

Objective  To assess awareness and compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Ga) and American Academy of Pediatrics (Elk Grove Village, Ill) principles for judicious antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections among residents from a sample of pediatric residency programs in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Participants and Methods  Residents at the participating programs were requested to complete a survey questionnaire.

Results  Of the 524 pediatric residents surveyed, 74% (388 participants) completed the questionnaire. Familiarity with the principles increased with a year of training; 16%, 36%, and 50% of first-year (PL1), second-year (PL2), and third- or fourth-year (PL3/PL4) residents, respectively, had heard or read about the principles (²_trend; P<.001). In response to a direct question about the use of antibiotics for an otherwise well, afebrile 18-month-old child with purulent rhinorrhea, 29%, 25%, and 15% of PL1, PL2, and PL3/PL4 residents, respectively, would prescribe antibiotics within 10 days of onset of illness (²_trend; P = .008). A significant difference was found between PL1 vs PL3/PL4 participants (difference = 20%; 95% CI = 3%-26%). If the same infant had a temperature of 38.8°C, then 63%, 45%, and 47% of PL1, PL2, and PL3/PL4 residents, respectively, would prescribe antibiotics (²_trend; P = .008).

Conclusions  Awareness among pediatric residents about the judicious use of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections is often lacking, and inappropriate use of antibiotics for this condition continues to be prevalent. This was especially noted among PL1 residents, with an improving trend noted with increasing years of training.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children (Drs Nambiar and Schwartz), and the Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital (Dr Sheridan), Falls Church, Va. Dr Nambiar is now with the Food and Drug Administration and the Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC.

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