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    Acne: long term antibiotic use

    GID-IND10344: The percentage of patients with acne aged 12 years or over prescribed lymecycline in the preceding 12 months and at 6 months prior to the latest prescription who had a review of antibiotic use 3 days before or after the latest prescription.

    Indicator type

    General practice indicator suitable for use in the QOF.

    Rationale

    Antibiotics for acne should only be used for longer than 6 months in exceptional circumstances. Reviewing the use of antibiotics for people with acne can help prevent ineffective treatment. Reducing long-term antibiotic use for acne will also help reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance.

    Source guidance

    NICE's guideline on acne vulgaris (2021) recommendation 1.5.13.

    Specification

    Numerator: The number of patients in the denominator who had a review of antibiotic use 3 days before or after the latest prescription of lymecycline.

    Denominator: The number of patients with acne aged 12 years or over prescribed lymecycline in the preceding 12 months and at 6 months prior to the latest prescription.

    Definition: Patients with acne includes any patients with a recorded diagnosis of acne vulgaris at any time in the 12-month reporting period.

    Exclusions: None.

    Personalised care adjustments or exception reporting should be considered to account for situations where the patient declines or does not attend.

    Notes

    There is currently no available SNOMED code specific to a review of antibiotic use. If the indicator is supported during stakeholder consultation and by results of testing, NICE will explore the potential for creation of a new code.

    Question for consultation:

    26. The approach to identify long-term antibiotic use (i.e. patients prescribed lymecycline in the preceding 12 months and at 6 months prior to the latest prescription) is because of limitations in the data extraction for counting prescriptions. Is this a reasonable approach to identify long-term use?