Effects of Advice to Take Probiotics on Antibiotic Prescribing Outcomes
| Outcome | Randomized Control Group (n = 632) No. (%) | Randomized Intervention Groupa (n = 638) No. (%) | Obtaining Any Probiotic Packageb (n = 121) No. (%) | Obtaining 2–3 Probiotic Packagesb (n = 86) No. (%) | Randomized Intervention Groupa OR (95% CI)c | Obtaining Any Probiotic Packageb AOR (95% CI)c | Obtaining 2–3 Probiotic Packagesb AOR (95% CI)c |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taken any selected antibiotic | 170 (26.9) | 177 (27.7) | 38 (31.4) | 28 (32.6) | 1.04 (0.82 to 1.34) | 1.08 (0.69 to 1.69) | 1.04 (0.62 to 1.75) |
| Taken any antibiotic | 212 (33.5) | 216 (33.9) | 46 (38) | 32 (37.2) | 1.01 (0.80 to 1.28) | 1.09 (0.71 to 1.68) | 0.97 (0.58 to 1.6) |
| Had URTI without wheeze, treated by antibiotics | 27 (4.3) | 30 (4.7) | 5 (4.1) | 4 (4.7) | 1.11 (0.65 to 1.88) | 1.15 (0.42 to 3.12) | 1.54 (0.5 to 4.72) |
| Had respiratory episode, treated by antibiotics | 129 (20.4) | 143 (22.4) | 31 (25.6) | 24 (27.9) | 1.13 (0.86 to 1.47) | 1.16 (0.72 to 1.87) | 1.2 0.7 to 2.06) |
| Mean No. (%)d | Mean No. (%)d | Mean No. (%)d | Mean No. (%)d | IRR (95% CI)c | IRR (95% CI)c | IRR (95% CI)c | |
| Selected antibiotic course | 0.42 (17.4, 9.5) | 0.47 (16.3, 11.4) | 0.50 (9.8, 11.6) | 0.51 (19.8, 12.8) | 1.11 (0.88 to 1.38) | 1.02 (0.71 to 1.46) | 0.97 (0.64 to 0.46) |
| Any antibiotic course | 0.59 (19.6, 13.9) | 0.61 (19.0, 14.9) | 0.64 (24.0, 14.0) | 0.63 (20.9, 16.3) | 1.03 (0.84 to 1.26) | 0.95 (0.69 to 1.32) | 0.88 (0.6 to 1.29) |
| URTI without wheeze given antibiotic course | 0.04 (4.1, 0.2) | 0.05 (4.1, 0.6) | 0.04 (4.1, 0.0) | 0.05 (4.7, 0.0) | 1.24 (0.72 to 2.12) | 1.08 (0.41 to 2.83) | 1.36 (0.47 to 3.99) |
| Combined all respiratory episodes given antibiotic course | 0.23 (18.2, 2.2) | 0.30 (16.1, 6.3)e | 0.32 (19.0, 6.6) | 0.35 (20.9, 7.0) | 1.31 (1.03 to 1.66) | 1.24 (0.87 to 1.78) | 1.26 (0.84 to 1.88) |
| Mean £ (SD) | Mean £ (SD) | Mean £ (SD) | Mean £ (SD) | Diff, £ (95% CI)f | Diff, £ (95% CI)f | Diff, £ (95% CI)f | |
| Total cost per person of selected antibiotic | 1.49 (10.9) | 1.75 (16.58) | 4.41 (37.18) | 5.74 (44.08) | 0.25 (−1.29 to 1.79) | 2.33 (−3.80 to 8.46) | 3.50 (−5.26 to 12.27) |
| Total cost per person of all antibiotics | 2.41 (11.68) | 2.38 (16.96) | 4.74 (37.18) | 5.98 (44.07) | −0.04 (−1.62 to 1.54) | 1.74 (−3.84 to 8.51) | 2.81 (−5.14 to 12.15) |
AOR = adjusted odds ratio; Diff = difference; IRR = incidence rate ratio; URTI = upper respiratory tract infection.
Note: Comparison is made between randomized groups comparing the intervention group with the control group, and the randomized control group with the per protocol groups after additional advice and obtaining probiotic.
↵a From unadjusted analyses.
↵b From analyses adjusted for age-group, sex, asthma severity and use of any antibiotics in 12 months before study.
↵c Compared with the randomized control group.
↵d Percentages with 1, with 2 or more.
↵e P <.05 compared with the control group.
↵f Compared with the randomized control group with boot-strapped confidence interval.