Delayed antibiotic prescription by general practitioners in the UK: a stated-choice study
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Delayed antibiotic prescription in primary care has been shown to reduce antibiotic consumption, without increasing risk of complications, yet is not widely used in the UK. We sought to quantify the relative importance of factors affecting the decision to give a delayed prescription, using a stated-choice survey among UK general practitioners. Respondents were asked whether they would provide a delayed or immediate prescription in fifteen hypothetical consultations, described by eight attributes. They were also asked if they would prefer not to prescribe antibiotics. The most important determinants of choice between immediate and delayed prescription were symptoms, duration of illness, and the presence of multiple comorbidities. Respondents were more likely to choose a delayed prescription if the patient preferred not to have antibiotics, but consultation length had little effect. When given the option, respondents chose not to prescribe antibiotics in 51% of cases, with delayed prescription chosen in 21%. Clinical features remained important. Patient preference did not affect the decision to give no antibiotics. We suggest that broader dissemination of the clinical evidence supporting use of delayed prescription for specific presentations may help increase appropriate use. Establishing patient preferences regarding antibiotics may help to overcome concerns about patient acceptance. Increasing consultation length appears unlikely to affect the use of delayed prescription.
Date Issued
2020-09-16
Date Acceptance
2020-09-14
Citation
ANTIBIOTICS-BASEL, 2020, 9 (9), pp.1-19
ISSN
2079-6382
Publisher
MDPI
Start Page
1
End Page
19
Journal / Book Title
ANTIBIOTICS-BASEL
Volume
9
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Sponsor
Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000581462100001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
HBR01600
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Infectious Diseases
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
antibiotic resistance
choice experiment
primary care
general practice
delayed prescription
respiratory tract infection
stewardship
UK
RESPIRATORY-TRACT INFECTIONS
SOCIETAL PREFERENCES
HEALTH
ILLNESS
STRATEGIES
MANAGEMENT
REDUCE
END
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 608
Date Publish Online
2020-09-16