Parents’ expectation of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory infections in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: Despite most childhood infections being self-limiting, children are among the leading consumers of antibiotics. Little is known about parental expectations of antibiotics for childhood infections. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to explore the nature and extent of parental expectations of antibiotic prescriptions for children with respiratory infections. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: An extensive literature search using six major scientific databases was conducted for all published articles until 7 December 2022. Primary studies reporting parents’ expectations of antibiotics for children with upper respiratory tract infections were included after assessment for quality. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed using the I(2) statistic and publication bias was analyzed using funnel plots and Egger regression tests. The primary outcome was a summary estimate of the percentage of parents who expect antibiotics from their physicians when their child presents with an upper respiratory tract infection. RESULTS: From a total of 4510 studies found in the initial searches, a final pool of 19 eligible studies with 15,664 individuals was included in this meta-analysis. Nine of the 19 studies were from the United States or Saudi Arabia. The pooled prevalence of parental expectations of antibiotics in the population reviewed was 55.78% (95% CI = 44.60–66.41). There was significant heterogeneity between the studies, but funnel plot and meta-regression did not detect any publication bias. CONCLUSION: More than half of parents expect antibiotics for their children during consultation for upper respiratory tract infections. Such practices may cause undue side effects among children, contribute to the growing burden of antibiotic resistance, and lead to treatment failure for many common infections in the future. To optimize efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance, shared decision-making and education emphasizing the proper and judicious use of antibiotics are much needed in pediatric healthcare settings. This can also help to manage parents’ expectations when seeking antibiotics for their children. Despite pressure from parents, pediatric healthcare providers should continue to advocate for antibiotic use only when warranted and help improve knowledge and awareness amongst parents. REGISTRATION: The protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022364198)