Antibiotics one of the most prescribed drugs

In 2017, nearly 18% of registered patients were prescribed an antibiotic by a general practitioner. This is a slight decrease from previous years. Amoxicillin, specially prescribed for ear and respiratory infections, was the most prescribed antibiotic; 5% of registered patients received a prescription for this. Nitrofurantoin and Clavulanic Amoxicillin Acid are other commonly prescribed antibiotics. Nitrofurantoin is mainly prescribed for urinary tract infections

Antibiotics are most commonly prescribed for urinary tract infections

. Most antibiotics were prescribed for urinary tract infections, followed by acute upper respiratory infections and pneumonia

. the use of antibiotics increases the risk of antibiotic resistance. Dutch GPs are reluctant to prescribe antibiotics over their European counterparts. Nevertheless, Dutch GPs routinely prescribe antibiotics when the guidelines do not recommend it. This has been demonstrated in previous research conducted by the Nivel, "Use of Antibiotics in Respiratory Infections in the First Line".