1959. Parent Satisfaction and Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Respiratory Infections by Telemedicine

BACKGROUND: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a common reason for direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine consultation. Antibiotic prescribing during video-only DTC telemedicine consults was explored for pediatric RTIs, focusing on correlates with visit duration and patient satisfaction. METHODS: Data on pediatric (age less than 19 years) RTI consults were obtained from a large DTC nationwide telemedicine platform and included patient, physician, and encounter characteristics. Mixed-effects regression was used to assess variation in antibiotic receipt by patient and physician factors, as well as the association between antibiotic receipt and visit length or patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Of 12,842 RTI visits with 560 physicians, 55% of patients received an antibiotic prescription. Antibiotic prescribing rates among telemedicine providers were high: sinusitis (92.1%), otitis media (96.0%), pharyngitis (76.7%), and bronchitis/bronchiolitis (62.0%). A provider was more likely to receive a 5-star satisfaction rating from the parent when the child was provided a prescription for an antibiotic (OR 3.38; 95% CI 2.84–4.02), an antiviral (OR 2.56; 95% CI 1.81–3.64) or a nonantibiotic (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.58–2.36). Visit length (mean 6.4 minute) was associated with higher satisfaction only when no antibiotic was prescribed (OR 1.03 per 6 seconds; 95% CI 1.01–1.06). Compared with nonpediatricians, pediatric providers were less likely to prescribe antibiotics (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.29–0.68); however, patients of pediatricians were more likely to be highly satisfied (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.11–2.03). CONCLUSION: During DTC telemedicine video consultations for RTIs, pediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics, which correlated with visit satisfaction. Although pediatricians prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate than other physicians, their satisfaction scores were higher. Especially problematic, adherence to guideline-concordant criteria for diagnosing acute otitis media and streptococcal pharyngitis, which, respectively, require otoscopy and throat culture, is not possible during a video-only telemedicine consult. High rates of antibiotic prescribing to children with RTIs suggest a need for antimicrobial stewardship efforts during video-only telemedicine consultation. DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported Disclosures.