Antibiotic Use In Primary Care Research Articles

Developing a data-enabled nudge intervention for childhood antibiotics in primary care: a qualitative study.

Preschool children (aged≤5 years old) have the highest antibiotic prescribing rate in general practice, mostly for self-limiting acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Research from over 250 000 UK children suggests that a child's antibiotic history for RTI may be a good predictor for re-consulting a health professional for the same illness episode and increase clinical workload. To develop a data-enabled nudge intervention to optimise antibiotic prescribing for acute RTI based on a child's antibiotic history in general practice DESIGN & SETTING: Two phase qualitative study with parents/carers of preschool children and primary care clinicians METHOD: In phase 1, through an initial focus group with eight parents/carers and 'think aloud' interviews with 11 clinicians, we co-designed the intervention (computer screen prompt and personalised consultation leaflet). In phase 2, 13 clinicians used the intervention, integrated into the GP computer software, and share their feedback through 'think aloud' interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. We co-created a data-driven intervention that automatically integrates a child's antibiotic history for acute RTI and personalised leaflet into the electronic medical records. We found that parents and clinicians found this intervention, in principle, acceptable and feasible to use in primary care consultations. Delivering such interventions, integrated into practice workflow, could be efficiently scaled up to promote effective antimicrobial stewardship and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in primary care. Further research will test this intervention in a future trial.

Excessive prescription duration is a major contributor of inappropriate antibiotic use in primary care

ObjectivesIn France, 75% of systemic antibiotics are prescribed by general practitioners (GPs) in primary care. We aimed to estimate the burden of inappropriate use related to excessive prescription duration. Patients and methodsIn 2021, we performed a cross-sectional and pharmaco-economic study of a network of six GPs. The references for optimal durations were those of the French national guidelines for antibiotic prescription. ResultsOut of 196 antibiotic prescriptions, 33.7 % were of excessive duration, with a mean excess of 0.9 [0.86–0.94] to 1.6 [1.45–1.72] days per prescription. Ear, nose, and throat, respiratory tract, and skin and skin structure infections were the main infections associated with excessive prescription. The pharmaco-economic analysis showed that the cost of excessive prescription duration would range from an estimated 151 to 262 million € in France in 2021. ConclusionAddressing excessive antibiotic prescription duration by GPs may represent a powerful and cost-saving tool in antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization and quality of antibiotic use in the primary care setting in England, March 2019–March 2023: a segmented interrupted time series analysis of over 53 million individuals

ABSTRACT Background Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we evaluated the short-term impact of COVID-19 on antibiotic use in primary care in England, focusing on both antibiotic quantity (overuse) and quality (misuse) of use. Research design and methods A population-based segmented interrupted analysis was applied on monthly dispensed antibiotics prescriptions using the Prescription Cost Analysis dataset (March/2019–March/2023). The quantity was assessed using number of items dispensed per 1000 inhabitants (NTI) and defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID), while quality was evaluated using WHO’s Access Watch Reserve (AWaRe) classification, the proportion of ‘4C’ antibiotics and the percentage of broad- to narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Results Findings indicate 8.6 (17.2%) and 0.4 (2.6%) increase in the NTI and DID, respectively, with a statistically significant uptick in trend noted after the second lockdown (β5) for ‘total antibiotics’ for NTI only (β5 = 1.6; 95% CI:0.17, 3.1). Quality assessment showed an increase in ‘Access’ antibiotics from 77% in March/2019 to 86% in March/2023; however, COVID-19 had no significant impact on WHO AWaRe classes. Conclusion COVID-19’s impact on antibiotic use quality and quantity appeared to be minimal, though an increase in utilization post-second lockdown coincided with healthcare system recovery. This suggests a nuanced impact of the pandemic, highlighting the importance of continued antimicrobial stewardship.

Long-term impact of COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic use in primary care: lessons to optimize antimicrobial use

ABSTRACT Background Lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in the pattern of use of antimicrobials, but persistence of changes after lockdowns has not been described. The objective was to describe the number of patients with dispensed antibiotic treatment and consumption of antibiotics in outpatients from primary care in Catalonia 18 months after the end of the emergency period. Research design and methods Data for the COVID-19 pandemic period was obtained from March 2020 to December 2021. Four high transmission rate (Rt > 100) periods were established. To compare data, a simple Bayesian structural time series model was used. Results The observed number of patients with dispensed antibiotics decreased respect to the estimated, especially during the four high transmission rate periods: April–May 2020 (lockdown period) (−42.57% and −42.68%); December 2020-February 2021 (−41.65%, −49.97% and −43.64%); October 2021 (−16.23%), and December 2021 (−20.16%). Overall antibiotic consumption was reduced by 23.37% (p = 0.002). These differences were mainly observed in those ≤ 15 years. Conclusions We describe the reduction in the number of patients with dispensed antibiotics and antibiotic consumption after the COVID-19 lockdown persisted in a period of recovery of healthcare accessibility. This information may help to improve antimicrobial use at the primary care level.

General practitioners' decision making managing uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women: a qualitative study.

To be effective, interventions aimed at increasing the appropriateness of antibiotic use in primary care should consider the perspectives of prescribing physicians. To explore the decision making of general practitioners (GPs) when managing uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs) in women. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 22 GPs in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg (southern Germany). Verbatim transcripts were analysed through inductive qualitative content analysis. We generated the following three main themes: factors facilitating the decision making; factors complicating the decision making; and consultation modalities. According to participants, following evidence-based recommendations makes the prescription decision smoother. GPs' and patients' prior experiences and beliefs guides decisions towards certain antibiotics, even if those experiences and beliefs contradict evidence-based recommendations. Patient expectations and demands also condition antibiotic prescribing, favouring it. Organisational constraints, such as time pressure, the day of the week (for example, before weekends), and a lower cost of antibiotics for patients than alternative treatments favour the decision to prescribe antibiotics. Diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty complicates decision making, as does scepticism towards evidence-based recommendations. Discordance within the patient-doctor relationship contributed to this complexity. Regarding consultation modalities, a more in-depth consultation and shared decision making were seen as helpful in this process. We identified different factors as intervening against or for a straightforward management decision when dealing with women with uUTIs. They reveal the complexity behind the GPs' decision making. Providing GPs with easy-to-apply guidance while removing economic constraints to allocate sufficient consultation time, and supporting shared decision making may help GPs appropriately manage uUTIs in women.

Antibiotic use in Primary care in Northern Ireland

Antibiotic use in Primary care in Northern Ireland

Antibiotic prescription among children with common cold at a district hospital in Uganda.

Most childhood infections are of viral origin making antibiotics unnecessary. They are, however, the most frequently prescribed drugs dispensed to children, resulting in inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, which are one of the main drivers of antibiotic resistance. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions and identify its associated factors among children below 5 years with common cold who attend the outpatient department in Tororo General Hospital. The study was carried out in Tororo General Hospital, Eastern Uganda. A cross-sectional survey using consecutive sampling was performed among children below 5 years with common cold attending the outpatient department. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered, structured questionnaire and analysed using STATA version 14.0. Prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions was calculated. Bivariate analysis using chi-square test and multivariate analysis using logistic regression was performed to establish factors associated with antibiotic prescription. The prevalence of antibiotic prescriptions for common cold among children below 5 years was 23.3%. Factors associated with antibiotic prescription for common cold were duration of symptoms of more than 5 days (OR, 95% CI: 4.49; 1.16-17.23, p = 0.029) and being attended to by a clinical officer (OR, 95% CI: 0.19; 0.04-0.91, p = 0.038). There is inappropriate antibiotic prescription among children with common cold in Tororo General Hospital. There is need for antibiotic stewardship programmes to promote optimal antibiotic use in primary care facilities.Contribution: The study's findings can be used to develop context-specific antibiotic stewardship programmes tailored to promote judicious use of antibiotics in primary care.

COVID-19 pandemic and the quality of antibiotic use in primary care: an interrupted time-series study.

The coronavirus disease-19 pandemic and the related public health mitigation measures have impacted the transmission of infectious diseases; however, their impact on the use of antibacterials has not yet been extensively evaluated. This study evaluated the impact of the pandemic on the consumption patterns of antibacterials for systemic use in primary care in Portugal. An interrupted time-series analysis was performed using the autoregressive integrated moving average model of the antibacterials dispensed in the community pharmacies in Portugal from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2022. Monthly rates of absolute consumption (all antibacterials for systemic use, and specifically penicillins; cephalosporins; macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins; and quinolones) and the relative consumption of antibacterials (penicillins sensitive to β-lactamase, penicillin combinations including β-lactamase inhibitors, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and the ratio of broad- to narrow-spectrum antibacterials) were estimated. Antibiotic consumption was expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). In Portugal, the consumption of antibacterials (J01) declined sharply immediately after the beginning of the pandemic, having a significant reduction of >5 DID (P < .0001). A similar, short-term impact was found for penicillins (-2.920 DID; P < .0001); cephalosporins (-0.428 DID; P < .0001); macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins (-0.681 DID; P = .0021); and quinolones (-0.320 DID; P < .0001). A long-term increase was found for cephalosporins (+0.019 DID per month; P < .0001). Relative consumption changes were only found for third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins (0.0734%). Our study suggests that the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic may have resulted in a decrease in antibiotic use, with no significant changes in the relative dispense. Uncertainties regarding the long-term effects of the pandemic and its impact on the rates of resistance remain.

Addressing Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care—Developing Patient Information Sheets Using Co-Design Methodology

Antibiotic resistance is a threat to global health, and inappropriate antibiotic use can be associated with adverse effects. Developing tools to encourage better communication between patients and general practitioners may reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics. The aim of the study was to develop shared decision support tools on common infections using a co-design methodology to address antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in primary care. Three co-design/interview sessions were conducted with primary care providers and consumers between October 2019-April 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Participants critiqued existing AMS tools, identified key elements required and optimised resulting prototypes. Primary care providers and consumers prioritised information to include in the AMS tools, such as when to see a doctor, management options, disease symptoms and cause of infection differently. However, both agreed content should be communicated in a plain, concise and logical manner, using inclusive and simple language accompanied by illustrations. Information sheets should be single-sided and A4-sized, appropriate for use before, during or after consultations. Co-design provided a collaborative forum to systematically design and develop products that meet the needs of both primary care providers and consumers. This resulted in the development of seven patient information sheets on common infections that encourage discussion of these infections, conservative management options and appropriate antibiotic use in primary care.

Implementing antibiotic stewardship in high-prescribing English general practices: a mixed-methods study.

Trials have identified antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies that effectively reduce antibiotic use in primary care. However, many are not commonly used in England. The authors co-developed an implementation intervention to improve use of three AMS strategies: enhanced communication strategies, delayed prescriptions, and point-of-care C-reactive protein tests (POC-CRPTs). To investigate the use of the intervention in high-prescribing practices and its effect on antibiotic prescribing. Nine high-prescribing practices had access to the intervention for 12 months from November 2019. This was primarily delivered remotely via a website with practices required to identify an 'antibiotic champion'. Routinely collected prescribing data were compared between the intervention and the control practices. Intervention use was assessed through monitoring. Surveys and interviews were conducted with professionals to capture experiences of using the intervention. There was no evidence that the intervention affected prescribing. Engagement with intervention materials differed substantially between practices and depended on individual champions' preconceptions of strategies and the opportunity to conduct implementation tasks. Champions in five practices initiated changes to encourage use of at least one AMS strategy, mostly POC-CRPTs; one practice chose all three. POC-CRPTs was used more when allocated to one person. Clinicians need detailed information on exactly how to adopt AMS strategies. Remote, one-sided provision of AMS strategies is unlikely to change prescribing; initial clinician engagement and understanding needs to be monitored to avoid misunderstanding and suboptimal use.

Biomarkers as point-of-care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in people with acute respiratory infections in primary care.

Biomarkers as point-of-care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in people with acute respiratory infections in primary care.

Associations between declining antibiotic use in primary care in Scotland and hospitalization with infection and patient satisfaction: longitudinal population study.

BackgroundReducing antibiotic use is central to antimicrobial stewardship, but may have unintended consequences.ObjectivesTo examine associations between size of decline in antibiotic prescriptions in general practices and (i) rate of hospitalization for infection and (ii) patient satisfaction.MethodsRoutine data analysis for all general practices in Scotland, quarter one 2012 (Q1 2012) to quarter one 2018 (Q1 2018). Practices were grouped into quartiles of rate of change in prescribing and changes in rates of hospitalization were compared across groups. For satisfaction analysis, associations between practice-level patient satisfaction in 2017–18 (Scottish Health and Care Experience Survey) and prior change in antibiotic prescription were examined.ResultsAntibiotic prescriptions overall fell from 194.1 prescriptions/1000 patients in Q1 2012 to 165.3 in Q1 2018 (14.9% reduction). The first quartile of practices had a non-significant increase in prescriptions [change per quarter = 0.22 (95% CI −0.42 to 0.86) prescriptions/1000 patients], compared with large reductions in the other three groups, largest in quartile four: −2.95 (95% CI −3.66 to −2.24) prescriptions/1000 patients/quarter (29.7% reduction overall). In all quartiles, hospitalizations with infection increased. The increase was smallest in quartile four (the biggest reduction in prescriptions) and highest in quartile one (no significant change in prescriptions): 2.18 (95% CI 1.18 to 3.19) versus 3.68 (95% CI 2.64 to 4.73) admissions/100 000 patients/quarter, respectively [difference = − 1.50 (95% CI −2.91 to −0.10)]. There was no statistically significant association between change in antibiotic prescriptions and patient satisfaction.ConclusionsVery large reductions in antibiotic prescriptions in Scottish general practices have not been associated with increases in hospitalization with infection or changes in patient satisfaction.

O01 Nuances of implementing antibiotic stewardship in high-prescribing English general practices: an implementation study

BackgroundTrials have identified several antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies that effectively reduce antibiotic use in primary care. However, many are not commonly used in England and evidence is lacking around how to support high-prescribing general practices to implement AMS. We co-developed a customizable implementation intervention to improve adoption and use of three AMS strategies; enhanced communication strategies with/without patient leaflets, delayed prescriptions, and point-of-care C-reactive protein testing (POC-CRPT). This study aimed to investigate the use of the implementation intervention in high-prescribing practices and its effect on antibiotic prescribing.MethodsNine high-prescribing practices had access to the intervention for 12 months from November 2019. This was primarily delivered remotely via the ‘Antibiotic Optimisation’ website with practices required to identify an in-practice ‘Antibiotic Champion’. In a mixed-methods evaluation, we compared routinely collected prescribing data between 9 intervention and 45 matched control practices using a difference in differences analysis. Intervention material use was assessed through website monitoring and practice requests for supplies. Surveys and interviews were conducted with professionals at baseline and follow-up timepoints to capture experiences of using the intervention.ResultsThere was no evidence that the intervention affected antibiotic prescribing. Engagement with intervention materials differed substantially between practices and depended on the individual Antibiotic Champion's preconceptions regarding the AMS strategies and opportunity to do the implementation tasks. Champions in five practices initiated changes to encourage use of at least one of the three AMS strategies, mostly POC-CRPT and patient leaflets. One Champion used the website resources to drive discussions about implementation of all three strategies in their practice. Elsewhere, lack of website engagement meant clinicians did not recognize novelty in the communication and delayed prescription content. POC-CRPT was used most often when equipment was allocated to one person in a practice.ConclusionsAMS strategies are complex interventions and require clinicians to have detailed knowledge on how to adopt them in practice if they are to reduce antibiotic prescribing. Successful adoption may be achieved by allocating one or two persons to use an AMS strategy rather than all clinicians. Although effective in trials, remote, one-sided provision of AMS strategies is unlikely to change prescribing; initial clinician engagement and understanding needs to be monitored to avoid misunderstanding and suboptimal use.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to antibiotic use and resistance among prescribers from public primary healthcare facilities in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Background Overuse of antibiotics is one of the main drivers for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Globally, most antibiotics are prescribed in the outpatient setting. This survey aimed to explore attitudes and practices with regards to microbiology tests, AMR and antibiotic prescribing among healthcare providers at public primary health clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine primary health clinics located in low-income suburbs of Harare between October and December 2020. In Zimbabwe, primary health clinics provide nurse-led outpatient care for acute and chronic illnesses. Healthcare providers who independently prescribe antibiotics and order diagnostic tests were invited to participate. The survey used self-administered questionnaires. A five-point Likert scale was used to determine attitudes and beliefs. Results A total of 91 healthcare providers agreed to participate in the survey. The majority of participants (62/91, 68%) had more than 10 years of work experience. Most participants reported that they consider AMR as a global (75/91, 82%) and/or national (81/91, 89%) problem, while 52/91 (57%) considered AMR to be a problem in their healthcare facilities. A fifth of participants (20/91, 22%) were unsure if AMR was a problem in their clinics. Participants felt that availability of national guidelines (89/89, 100%), training sessions on antibiotic prescribing (89/89, 100%) and regular audit and feedback on prescribing (82/88, 93%) were helpful interventions to improve prescribing. Conclusions These findings support the need for increased availability of data on AMR and antibiotic use in primary care. Educational interventions, regular audit and feedback, and access to practice guidelines may be useful to limit overuse of antibiotics.

Perceptions, current practices, and interventions of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship: A qualitative study

BackgroundCommunity health care accounts for the vast majority of antibiotic use in Europe. Given the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions in primary care that could involve different health care providers, including community pharmacists. ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the perceptions, currents practices, and interventions of community pharmacists regarding AMS. MethodsSemistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with community pharmacists in France. Participants were recruited through a professional organization of community pharmacists combined with a snowballing technique. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used while developing the interview guide and carrying out thematic analysis. ResultsSixteen community pharmacists participated. All the respondents had good awareness about antimicrobial resistance and believed that community pharmacists had an important role in tackling AMR. Some barriers to community pharmacists’ participation in AMS were identified such as difficult interactions with prescribers, lack of time, and lack of access to patient medical records and diagnosis. Increased patient education, audits and feedback of antibiotic prescribing, increased point-of-care testing, and delayed prescribing were interventions suggested by the pharmacists to improve antibiotic use in primary care. Strategies cited by participants to facilitate the implementation of such interventions are increased pharmacist–general practitioner collaboration, specialized training, clinical decision support tools, and financial incentives. ConclusionThis study suggests that community pharmacists could play a greater role in infection management and AMS interventions. Further interprofessional collaboration is needed to optimize antibiotic prescribing and utilization in community health care.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the seasonality of outpatient antibiotic use and influenza activity? A time-series analysis from 2014 to 2021

ObjectiveTo assess the influence of the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and the implementation of public health measures on the seasonality of outpatient antibiotic use and their possible association with the incidence of influenza. MethodsWe performed a time-series ecological study in 1516 primary care centres of Andalusia, Spain, comparing the coronavirus disease 2019 period (April 2020 to March 2021) with the 6 previous years. We assessed the number of packs and defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants of antibacterials and key antibiotics commonly used for acute respiratory tract infections and the number of influenza-positive cases per 100 000 inhabitants. We calculated the correlation between variables and analyzed the seasonal patterns and differences in quarterly antibiotic use. ResultsFor all quarters, a significant correlation was observed between influenza activity and antibiotic use (Spearman's r = 0.94; p < 0.001). Before the pandemic period, both variables presented similar seasonal patterns. After the start of the pandemic, influenza activity was suppressed and the pattern of antibiotic use flattened into a straight line (R2 = 0.96; p = 0.022) with a quarterly change of 3.9% (p = 0.007). Total antibiotic use and antibiotics used for treating acute respiratory tract infections showed significant reductions in all quarters compared to the previous year (p < 0.01). DiscussionThe coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has strongly influenced the seasonality of antibiotic use in primary care. The decline in respiratory viruses, among which the influenza virus is a major player that may act as a proxy for general prevalence, is proposed as a reason for the flattening of the seasonal fluctuations of outpatient antibiotic use in our region.

Coping With Diagnostic Uncertainty in Antibiotic Prescribing: A Latent Class Study of Primary Care Physicians in Hubei China.

Background: Misuse of antibiotics is prevalent worldwide and primary care is a major contributor. Although a clear diagnosis is fundamental for rational antibiotic use, primary care physicians often struggle with diagnostic uncertainty. However, we know little about how physicians cope with this situation and its association with antibiotic prescribing.Methods: A total of 583 primary care physicians were surveyed using the Dealing with Uncertainty Questionnaire. Their prescriptions (n = 949,181) over the year 2018 were retrieved retrospectively. Two categories of behavioral patterns of participants were identified based on latent class analyses (high vs. low openness and collaborativeness) in responding to diagnostic uncertainty. Multi-level logistic regression models were established to determine the associations between these behavioral patterns and antibiotic prescribing (overall and broad-spectrum antibiotics) for illness without an indication for antibiotics and those with a conditional indication for antibiotics, respectively, after adjustment for variations of patient (level one) and physician (level two) characteristics.Results: Most physicians reported open communications with their patients (80.96%), collected further information (85.08%), and referred patients to specialists (68.95%) in dealing with diagnostic uncertainly. More than half (56.95%) sought help from colleagues. Less than 20% acted on intuition or adopted a “wait and see” strategy. About 40% participants (n = 238) were classified into the group of low openness and collaborativeness in coping with diagnostic uncertainty. They were more likely to prescribe antibiotics for the recorded illness without an indication for antibiotics (AOR = 1.013 for all antibiotics, p = 0.024; AOR = 1.047 for broad-spectrum antibiotics, p < 0.001), as well as for the recorded illness with a conditional indication for antibiotics (AOR = 1.226 for all antibiotic, p < 0.001; AOR = 1.257 for broad-spectrum antibiotics, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Low tolerance with diagnostic uncertainty is evident in primary care. Inappropriate and over antibiotic prescribing is shaped by physicians' coping methods of diagnostic uncertainty. Physicians' openness and collaborativeness in responding to diagnostic uncertainty is associated with lower antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Interventions targeting on better management of diagnostic uncertainty may offer a promising approach in reducing antibiotic use in primary care.

Reducing antibiotic prescribing using nudges: A systematic review of interventions in primary care

Introduction: Inappropriate antibiotic use in primary care is high. Nudge interventions, from the field of behavioural economics, are an approach to behaviour change that has been making significant inroads in healthcare. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effect of nudge interventions to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care.

Antibiotic prescription in primary care from the perspective of family physicians: a qualitative study.

Antibiotic consumption increases worldwide steadily. Turkey is now top on the list of global consumption and became a prototype of excessive use of antibiotics. In the last two decades, family physicians (FPs) have become key figures in the healthcare system. This study aims to understand the reasons for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and elicit suggestions for improving antibiotic use in primary care from doctors themselves. This is a qualitative semi-structured interview study with research dialogues guided by the Vancouver School of interpretive phenomenology. Fourteen FPs from different parts of Turkey were questioned on inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and their suggestions for improving antibiotic use. The most important reasons for prescribing antibiotics without acceptable indications were patient expectations, defensive medical decision making, constraints due to workload, and limited access to laboratories. The most remarkable inference was the personal feeling of an insecure job environment of the FPs. The most potent suggestions for improving the quality of antibiotic prescription were public campaigns, improvements in the diagnostic infrastructures of primary care centers, and enhancing the social status of FPs. The FPs expressed strong concerns related to the complaints that patients make to administrative bodies. Primary care physicians work under immense pressure, stemming mainly from workload, patient expectations, and obstacles related to diagnostic processes. Improving the social status of physicians, increasing public awareness, and the facilitation of diagnostic procedures was the methods suggested for increasing antibiotic prescription accuracy.

Public preferences for delayed or immediate antibiotic prescriptions in UK primary care: A choice experiment.

Delayed (or "backup") antibiotic prescription, where the patient is given a prescription but advised to delay initiating antibiotics, has been shown to be effective in reducing antibiotic use in primary care. However, this strategy is not widely used in the United Kingdom. This study aimed to identify factors influencing preferences among the UK public for delayed prescription, and understand their relative importance, to help increase appropriate use of this prescribing option. We conducted an online choice experiment in 2 UK general population samples: adults and parents of children under 18 years. Respondents were presented with 12 scenarios in which they, or their child, might need antibiotics for a respiratory tract infection (RTI) and asked to choose either an immediate or a delayed prescription. Scenarios were described by 7 attributes. Data were collected between November 2018 and February 2019. Respondent preferences were modelled using mixed-effects logistic regression. The survey was completed by 802 adults and 801 parents (75% of those who opened the survey). The samples reflected the UK population in age, sex, ethnicity, and country of residence. The most important determinant of respondent choice was symptom severity, especially for cough-related symptoms. In the adult sample, the probability of choosing delayed prescription was 0.53 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50 to 0.56, p < 0.001) for a chesty cough and runny nose compared to 0.30 (0.28 to 0.33, p < 0.001) for a chesty cough with fever, 0.47 (0.44 to 0.50, p < 0.001) for sore throat with swollen glands, and 0.37 (0.34 to 0.39, p < 0.001) for sore throat, swollen glands, and fever. Respondents were less likely to choose delayed prescription with increasing duration of illness (odds ratio (OR) 0.94 (0.92 to 0.96, p < 0.001)). Probabilities of choosing delayed prescription were similar for parents considering treatment for a child (44% of choices versus 42% for adults, p = 0.04). However, parents differed from the adult sample in showing a more marked reduction in choice of the delayed prescription with increasing duration of illness (OR 0.83 (0.80 to 0.87) versus 0.94 (0.92 to 0.96) for adults, p for heterogeneity p < 0.001) and a smaller effect of disruption of usual activities (OR 0.96 (0.95 to 0.97) versus 0.93 (0.92 to 0.94) for adults, p for heterogeneity p < 0.001). Females were more likely to choose a delayed prescription than males for minor symptoms, particularly minor cough (probability 0.62 (0.58 to 0.66, p < 0.001) for females and 0.45 (0.41 to 0.48, p < 0.001) for males). Older people, those with a good understanding of antibiotics, and those who had not used antibiotics recently showed similar patterns of preferences. Study limitations include its hypothetical nature, which may not reflect real-life behaviour; the absence of a "no prescription" option; and the possibility that study respondents may not represent the views of population groups who are typically underrepresented in online surveys. This study found that delayed prescription appears to be an acceptable approach to reducing antibiotic consumption. Certain groups appear to be more amenable to delayed prescription, suggesting particular opportunities for increased use of this strategy. Prescribing choices for sore throat may need additional explanation to ensure patient acceptance, and parents in particular may benefit from reassurance about the usual duration of these illnesses.