Unneeded antibiotics for acute respiratory infections in primary care: stop as early as possible

Retamar, Pilar

doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2021.11.009

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Many strategies aimed at reducing unnecessary antibiotic use have been suggested, including guidelines, education, audits and feedback, as well as delayed prescriptions. However, early discontinuation of antibiotics (AD), when the prescription is deemed unnecessary after a clinical re-evaluation, should become the norm [ 27 ]. However, discontinuing an unnecessary antibiotic course is seldom carried out in routine clinical practice because most physicians are concerned about hypothetical negative consequences of discontinuation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic deprescribing: Spanish general practitioners’ views on a new strategy to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics in primary care

Llor

Córdoba

Oliveira

et al. 2022

European Journal of General Practice

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Background A doctor may recommend that a patient stop an antibiotic course before its scheduled completion time if further treatment may cause more harm than benefit. Objectives This study explores general practitioners’ (GP) opinions about the use of antibiotic deprescribing (AD) in general practice. Methods A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study answered from February to March 2022. GPs ( n = 6,083) affiliated with the largest Spanish scientific society of primary care were invited to participate. The survey included two statements related to use and fourteen views about AD rated by GPs using a 5-item Likert scale. Results Eleven hundred and seven doctors completed the surveys (18.2%), of whom 92.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.8–94%) reported having used the AD strategy in their practice at least once. GPs felt very confident in using a deprescribing strategy in patients with common cold and influenza (97.6% and 93.5%, respectively) but less with acute bronchitis (45.5%); 12.1% (95% CI, 10.2–14.2%) considered this practice harmful to patients. Respondents reported using AD more frequently when they initiated the antibiotic course (96.8%; 95% CI, 95.5–97.7) than when the treatment was initiated by another doctor (52.3%; 95% CI, 49.3–55.3%). However, doctors aged >60 years were more prone to use AD compared with younger colleagues (64.5% vs. 50%; p < 0.005). Conclusion The GPs in this study employ the strategy of AD. Nonetheless, essential differences lie in their views of the way the strategy is used. Further studies are warranted to explore the beliefs behind these perceptions and promote wider use of AD by GPs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%