Can Antibiotic Stewardship Be Achieved by Utilizing the Stewardship Through Educating Patients (S.T.E.P.) Process?

Abstract

Despite research and efforts to mitigate bacterial resistance, antibiotic overprescribing continues to occur, often due to real or perceived expectations of patients. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) if there's an associationbetween the provider's patient education efforts and the patient'ssatisfaction, and(2) the research participant's subsequent behaviorconcerning antibiotic prescriptions, byutilizing the Stewardship Through Educating Patients (S.T.E.P.) process for positive prescriptive change.The S.T.E.P. programfeatures straightforward, simple education viaface-to-face counseling at patient encounters, along with presenting applicable printed educational pamphletsfrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).These two interventions were utilized in this study with research participants from the healthcare provider, with education focused onappropriate antibiotic use in the treatment of adults diagnosed with common illnesses such as an upper respiratory infection (the common cold), acute sinusitis, and acute bronchitis, which oftentimes are viral in origin. This Quality Improvement (QI) interventional study utilized the researcher'sdirect face-to-facepatient education and CDC printed materials as a measure of antibiotic prescribing as a primary outcome, with patient satisfaction as a secondary outcome via convenience sampling of 40 hospital employees who utilized a free hospital-based employee healthcare clinic. Patient-teaching by this study'sresearcher, along with supplemental printed patient education material from the CDC thatwere given to research participants during an initial medical encounter, were effective interventions used in reducing antibiotic prescribing, as evidenced by a positive patient satisfaction in 95% of research participants. Antibiotic use in the treatment of adults diagnosed with common illnesses such as an upper respiratory infection (the common cold), acute sinusitis, and acute bronchitis, may be safely reduced by using a combination of patient-education and clinician intervention.