Infectious disease management in primary care: perceptions of GPs

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Infectious Disease Management
• Antibiotic Stewardship

Background:

• Combating antibiotic resistance necessitates low antibiotic prescribing levels.
• Understanding general practitioners' (GPs) thought processes regarding antibiotic prescribing is crucial for rational infectious disease treatment in primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and describe variations in GPs' perceptions of infectious disease management.
• To specifically examine antibiotic prescribing within these perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Purposive sampling of 20 GPs from primary care centers in south-west Sweden.
• Interviews with GPs to gather their perceptions.
• Phenomenographic approach for analyzing GP perceptions.

Main Results:

• Identified five distinct perceptions of infectious disease management.
• Perceptions included patient well-being, GP demands, time constraints of restrictive prescribing, antibiotic effectiveness preservation, and patient benefits from restrictive prescribing.

Conclusions:

• Restrictive antibiotic prescribing is viewed differently across GP perceptions.
• Patient-GP interaction significantly influences actual prescribing behavior.
• Addressing multiple facets and providing tailored support are essential for encouraging restrictive antibiotic prescribing.
• Acknowledging the complexity and time demands of infectious disease management is vital for healthcare organization and planning.