Identifying Patterns of Primary Care Antibiotic Prescribing for a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Cohort Using an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Database.

The study only looked at prescriptions from the patient's rostered primary care physician. Antibiotics from emergency rooms, specialists, or walk-in clinics were not included, so the total antibiotic burden is likely underestimated. The data showed what was prescribed, not what was actually taken by the patient. The records were inconsistent, so the researchers could not determine if the antibiotics prescribed were appropriate for the specific infection or severity. The findings apply only to patients rostered to a primary care physician in Ontario, though the authors note most SCI patients in similar health systems have a family physician.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not assume this study shows how often people with SCI take antibiotics overall. It only counted prescriptions from their primary care doctor, missing any antibiotics obtained from hospitals, specialists, or other clinics.