Pharmacists' and physicians' perception of antibiotic policies in New South Wales public hospitals

Abstract

Abstract Background The potential of antibiotic policies in hospitals to improve antibiotic use depends on the compliance of practitioners with these policies. It is conceivable that the way the policies are perceived by practitioners can influence their compliance. Objective To determine the perception and awareness of pharmacists and physicians of their current hospital antibiotic policy. Setting Public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Method Pharmacists and physicians were surveyed using a structured questionnaire seeking the extent of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements about their hospital's antibiotic policy. All hospitals had at least one antibiotic policy. A simple one-stage cluster sample of 241 pharmacists and a two-stage cluster sample of 701 physicians were obtained. Factor analysis was used to identify the dimensions of perception. General linear modelling was used to investigate the effects of predictor variables on outcome variables. Results The response rates were 91 per cent and 77 per cent for pharmacists and physicians, respectively. The proportion of respondents who were aware of their hospital's antibiotic policy was 86 per cent (190/220) for pharmacists and 61 per cent (332/542) for the physicians. Factor analysis identified three factors related to how practitioners perceived their current hospital's antibiotic policies. These were: the usefulness of antibiotic policies (utility), how the policy was applied in the hospital (application) and the perceived problems associated with the policy (problems). Pharmacists were significantly more likely than physicians to perceive problems with antibiotic policies and how the policies were applied. Conclusion The level of practitioners' awareness of their hospital's antibiotic policy and pharmacists' perception of problems with such policies need to be addressed if these policies are to make a significant contribution to improved antibiotic use in hospitals.