We summarized annual dispensed oral antibiotic prescription counts from IQVIA Xponent 2011-2016 databases. Using a proprietary projection method, IQVIA estimates 100% of all US community pharmacy prescription dispensing based on a sample of 74-90% (varies by year) of outpatient prescriptions and pharmacy wholesale delivery information. These data estimate prescriptions dispensed by outpatient pharmacies regardless of the setting in which the prescription was written. This projection methodology has previously been described and used to estimate outpatient prescriptions. Antibiotics were categorized as tetracyclines, cephalosporins, lincosamides, macrolides, penicillins, fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, beta-lactams with increased activity, urinary anti-infectives, and other (Supplementary Table 1). Provider specialties were categorized into 17 specialty groups based on American Medical Association self-designated practice specialties [8 (link)]. Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) were categorized as NPs or PAs regardless of practice specialty. We summarized dispensed oral antibiotic counts by year, region, patient age group and sex, antibiotic category, provider specialty, and state.
Population estimates were derived for each year from the Vintage 2016 1990-2016 series US Census bridged-race resident population estimate files [18 ]. We summarized population estimates overall and by region, patient age group and sex, and state.
The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Human Subjects Advisor determined that analyses with these de-identified data are non-research public health surveillance and do not require Institutional Review Board review.