Emerging Issues in the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media: Implications for Managed Care

Haemophilus influenzae

Streptococcus

pneumoniae

Moraxella catarrhalis

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a highlyprevalent and costly disease thataffects young children, their caregivers,and managed care plans. Although thepredominant pathogenic organisms in AOMare , , and , aproportional change in the prevalence ofthese organisms has recently occurred. Assuch, traditional empiric therapy for AOMmanagement has been brought into question.

The American Journal of

Managed Care

This supplement to will review evidence of a shiftin the microbiology of AOM and discuss theclinical and economic implications of such ashift for a managed care audience.The supplement begins with Michael E.Pichichero, MD, exploring the backgroundand events leading up to and presents evidenceof a proportional shift in the microbiologyof AOM. In his article, Dr Pichicherodiscusses in detail the clinical consequencesand the future implications of the shift, anddescribes why these factors should be consideredby managed care professionals.

In the next article, Diana I. Brixner, RPh,PhD, reviews the total costs of AOM andthe cost implications of the shift in microbiologyof AOM to the managed care audience.This article also reviews prescriptionantibiotic use in AOM, presents evidenceof the clinical and economic impact ofantibiotic adherence, and compares antibioticprofiles for several factors that canaffect antibiotic adherence and subsequenthealth outcomes.

Together, these articles provide valuableinformation that managed care professionalsand physicians can use to evaluate and comparethe clinical and economic differencesamong antibiotic therapies for managing theshifting microbiological environment of AOM.

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