Antibiotic prescriptions in acute otitis media and pharyngitis in Italian pediatric outpatients.

Background Acute otitis media (AOM) and pharyngitis are very common infections in children and adolescents. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest rate of antibiotic prescriptions. The aim of this study is to describe first-line treatment approaches for AOM and pharyngitis in primary care settings in Italy over six years, including the prevalence of ‘wait and see’ for AOM, where prescription of antibiotics is delayed 48 h from presentation, and differences in prescribing for pharyngitis when diagnostic tests are used.