TY - JOUR

T1 - Antibiotic deprescribing

T2 - Spanish general practitioners' views on a new strategy to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics in primary care

AU - Llor, Carl

AU - Cordoba, Gloria

AU - de Oliveira, Sandi Michele

AU - Bjerrum, Lars

AU - Moragas, Ana

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Humans

KW - General Practitioners

KW - Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects

KW - Deprescriptions

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

KW - Primary Health Care

KW - Attitude of Health Personnel

U2 - 10.1080/13814788.2022.2130887

DO - 10.1080/13814788.2022.2130887

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36314609

VL - 28

SP - 217

EP - 223

JO - European Journal of General Practice

JF - European Journal of General Practice

SN - 1381-4788

IS - 1

ER -