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Educational posters to reduce antibiotic use
David Ashe1, Patricia A Patrick, Michelle M Stempel
1Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA. davidashe@aol.com
Insights
A waiting room poster did not effectively reduce antibiotic prescriptions for children with respiratory illnesses. Public education efforts via posters are insufficient to curb excessive antibiotic use in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Prevention
- Health Communication
Background:
- Antibiotic overuse contributes to the rise of resistant bacteria and patient adverse reactions.
- Government-sponsored public health campaigns often utilize educational posters.
- This study evaluated the efficacy of waiting room posters in curbing antibiotic misuse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of an educational poster on antibiotic prescribing practices.
- To determine if waiting room interventions can reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric respiratory illnesses.
Main Methods:
- A 1-month trial was conducted in three private pediatric practices.
- Educational posters were displayed in waiting rooms.
- Antibiotic prescriptions for children (6 months–10 years) with respiratory symptoms were compared to historical controls.
Main Results:
- 45.2% of patients received an antibiotic prescription.
- No statistically significant difference in antibiotic prescription rates was observed between the intervention month and control periods (P = .79).
- The educational poster demonstrated no effect on antibiotic prescribing behavior.
Conclusions:
- Waiting room posters alone are insufficient to decrease antibiotic prescriptions.
- Findings suggest limitations for current public education programs on antibiotic stewardship.
- Healthcare providers need more effective strategies to educate patients on appropriate antibiotic use.
Introduction:
Antibiotic overuse promotes resistant strains of bacteria and puts patients at risk for adverse reactions. Given the use of educational posters in government-sponsored public health campaigns, this study examined the effectiveness of a waiting room poster in reducing excessive antibiotic use in clinical practice.
Methods:
Investigators conducted a 1-month trial of an educational poster with historical controls using three private pediatric group practices in Westchester County, New York. Children between the ages of 6 months and 10 years at the time of a visit to diagnose and treat symptoms of respiratory illness were enrolled as subjects. Antibiotic prescriptions for children with respiratory illnesses seen during the poster month were compared with prescriptions written during three 1-month historical control periods. The proportion of visits that resulted in a prescription for an antibiotic served as the outcome measure.
Results:
Overall, 326 of the 720 patients (45.2%) enrolled in the study were treated with an antibiotic. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in the proportion of visits resulting in an antibiotic prescription among the 4 study months (P = .79), indicating that the educational poster had no effect on antibiotic use.
Discussion:
Public education in the form of a waiting room poster was not sufficient to decrease antibiotic prescriptions. This finding has implications for current large-scale programs and for health care providers as they continue to attempt to educate patients on the appropriate use of antibiotics.
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