Why prescribe antibiotics for otitis media in children?

Abstract

Otitis media (OM) is a common illness in children, characterized by a short-term inflammation of the middle ear for which antibiotics provide little benefit in a large proportion of children. It is a condition that is largely self limiting and complications are likely to be rare if antibiotics are withheld. The aim of the study is to understand why nurse practitioners in primary care prescribe antibiotics for some cases of OM. The objectives were to describe evidence-based guidelines nurse practitioners use in their prescribing practice, to explore how they perceive this guidance, explore how they think through their prescribing practice and influences upon this and to explore perceptions they hold about their prescribing practice when treating otitis media in children. An interpretative qualitative research approach was used in primary care settings with a purposive sample group of eight primary care nurse practitioners who consented to individual audio taped interviews. Thematic analysis to participants' responses to questions during semi-structured interviews was undertaken.