To determine age-specific antibiotic prescription and referral rates in preschool children diagnosed with acute
respiratory tract infection (RTI) in primary care. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting . Research database of the
Netherlands University Medical Center Utrecht Primary Care Network. Subjects. All children aged 05 years within the
database were included, covering 1998 to 2002 (18,801 child-years). Main outcome measures. Antibiotic prescription and
referral rates were determined as percentage of children with at least one prescription or referral within a year