--- title: "Antibiotic prescribing patterns and consumption among privately insured beneficiaries in Saudi Ara" id: "bmj-open-10-real-world-evidence-on-antibiotic-use-among-privately-insured-beneficiaries-in" canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-open-10-real-world-evidence-on-antibiotic-use-among-privately-insured-beneficiaries-in" content_type: "clinical_feed_article" specialty: "Infectious Disease" source_name: "BMJ Open" source_url: "http://bmjopen.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/16/8/e118941?rss=1" published_at: "2026-08-11T10:40:53.000Z" evidence_level: "Journal Feed" license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use" --- # Antibiotic prescribing patterns and consumption among privately insured beneficiaries in Saudi Ara ## Provenance & Clinical Metadata - **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-open-10-real-world-evidence-on-antibiotic-use-among-privately-insured-beneficiaries-in - **Specialty:** [Infectious Disease](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/infectious-disease.md) - **Primary Source:** BMJ Open - **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](http://bmjopen.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/16/8/e118941?rss=1) - **Published At:** 2026-08-11T10:40:53.000Z - **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed ## Executive GIST (TL;DR) - This retrospective claims analysis evaluated **antibiotic** prescribing among 4.02 million privately insured (Daman) beneficiaries in Saudi Arabia using deidentified data from the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES) for 1 November 2023–31 October 2024. - Investigators identified 8.3 million antibiotic prescriptions in claims and linked them to ICD-10-AM diagnostic codes to determine clinical indications. - Prescriptions were mapped to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) drug list; hospital consumption for five inpatient antibiotics was expressed as **defined daily doses (DDD)** per 100 patient-days and overall consumption as DDD per 1000 insured persons per day. - Age- and sex-stratified rates revealed particularly high prescription rates in **male infants** (509.6 prescriptions per 1000) and **older males** (641.9 prescriptions per 1000). - **General practitioners** accounted for 80% of antibiotic prescriptions, with broad-spectrum beta-lactams—especially **amoxicillin - clavulanate**—predominating. - Overall antibiotic consumption was 11.63 DDD per 1000 insured persons per day, comparable to ESAC-Net outpatient benchmarks from Europe. - Mean treatment durations ranged from 8 to 14 days, exceeding common global antimicrobial stewardship recommendations for many indications. - Appropriateness assessment using **HEDIS** metrics showed overprescribing for respiratory tract infections, notably upper respiratory tract infections. - Authors conclude this is the first claim-based analysis within this insured population and suggest decision support, AI-driven audits and targeted prescriber education as potential interventions to optimise prescribing and address antimicrobial resistance (**AMR**). ## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points Objectives Inappropriate and broad-spectrum antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and higher healthcare costs. In Saudi Arabia, despite ongoing antimicrobial stewardship efforts, comprehensive real-world evidence on antibiotic prescribing patterns remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate antibiotic prescribing among insured (Daman) beneficiaries in Saudi Arabia and benchmark against international standards. Design Retrospective analysis of deidentified health insurance claims from the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES), covering 1 November 2023 - 31 October 2024. Setting Antibiotic prescriptions were identified within claims and linked to diagnostic codes using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) to determine clinical indications for use. Participants Among 4.02 million claimants, 8.3 million antibiotic prescriptions were identified. Primary and secondary outcome measures Antibiotic claims were mapped to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) drug list. Hospital antibiotic consumption was expressed as defined daily doses (DDD) per 100 patient-days for five selected inpatient antibiotics, whereas overall antibiotic consumption (in both community and hospital settings) was expressed as DDD per 1000 insured persons per day. Treatment duration, prescriber specialty and patient demographics were measured. Appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing for respiratory tract infections was assessed using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) metrics. Results Age-stratified and sex-stratified antibiotic prescription rates showed disproportionately high use in male infants (509.6 prescriptions per 1000) and older males (641.9 prescriptions per 1000). General practitioners accounted for 80% of prescriptions. Broad-spectrum beta-lactams, particularly amoxicillin - clavulanate, predominated. Overall antibiotic consumption was 11.63 DDD per 1000 insured persons per day, comparable to European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net) outpatient benchmarks. Mean treatment durations ranged 8 - 14 days, exceeding global stewardship recommendations. HEDIS indicators revealed overprescribing, particularly for upper respiratory tract infections. Conclusions This is the first claim-based analysis of antibiotic prescribing patterns among Daman beneficiaries in Saudi Arabia. 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