To identify whether suboptimal uptake of antibiotic prophylaxis in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) is due to the timely receipt of the first prescription by 3 months of age.
Approach:
Study Design: Cohort study using Georgia newborn screening data to analyze prescription timing of antibiotic prophylaxis from birth to 12 months.
Data Analysis: Utilized Kaplan-Meier method for cumulative probability and Cox proportional hazards regression model for identifying associated factors.
Key Findings:
By 2 months of age, 63.1% of children had received their first antibiotic prophylaxis prescription.
This probability increased to 81.8% by 3 months and 98.9% by 12 months.
Children in rural areas had an 18% lower hazard of receiving prophylaxis by 3 months compared to urban peers.
