Antibiotic prescribing patterns for acute respiratory infections in a free clinic network: a pooled cross-sectional study

In the United States, overprescribing of antibiotics for viral respiratory infections and antimicrobial resistance continue to be public health concerns. To date, no literature has focused on antibiotic prescribing patterns from free clinics. To address this gap, we used patient-level data from a student-run free clinic network of four primary care clinics to assess factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for viral respiratory infections. Treatment plans were deemed inappropriate if any type of antibiotic was prescribed. We used unpaired t tests and chi-square tests to assess for differences in receiving an inappropriate antibiotic prescription by patient-level factors (i.e. age, race/ethnicity, sex, educational attainment, preferred language, insurance status). Of 298 visits, 22.5% did not meet treatment guidelines. No patient-level factors studied were associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Our findings suggest other factors, beyond those at the patient level, may be drivers of variation in antibiotic prescribing in free clinics.