Factors influencing the antibiotic-prescribing decisions of nurse practitioners

Decision-making about treatment options is a complex process that is influenced by many variables. An instrument for studying this decision-making process and the factors influencing it was designed. A survey of the antibiotic-prescribing practices of nurse practitioners (NPs) was then conducted via mail and the World Wide Web. NPs who treat adult patients were presented with scenarios in which antibiotic prescription would be an appropriate choice. Participants were asked to evaluate the clinical scenarios and describe their decision-making about treatment and the rationale for treatment. Responses were analyzed to determine the factors that played a role in antibiotic decision-making and their relative importance in that process. The ranks of categories of factors by the respondents were similar across the 4 scenarios. Antibiotic-prescribing patterns and the rationale of the antibiotic-prescribing decision of the respondents for the presented scenarios are also described.