Developing a Clinical Decision Support Tool for Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing in Australian General Practice: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• General Practice
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing contributes to antimicrobial resistance and adverse drug events.
• Clinical decision support (CDS) tools can aid general practitioners (GPs) in making optimal prescribing choices.
• This study evaluated a novel CDS tool designed for integration with electronic medical records (EMR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the utilization, acceptability, and feasibility of a CDS tool for antibiotic prescribing.
• The tool integrates evidence-based guidelines and patient information within the EMR.
• To assess GP perceptions of the tool's usability and integration into clinical workflow.

Main Methods:

• Eight GPs participated in simulated consultations using the CDS tool.
• Data collection included interviews, surveys (usability, realism), and video analysis of consultation duration.
• Qualitative data were analyzed using framework analysis; quantitative data from surveys were also assessed.

Main Results:

• All GPs perceived the simulated consultations as realistic and representative.
• Seven out of eight GPs reported satisfaction with the tool's usability.
• The CDS tool aided clinical decision-making and informed appropriate antibiotic prescribing, with ease of use and EMR integration being crucial for adoption.

Conclusions:

• The developed CDS tool demonstrated acceptability among GPs.
• Essential features for successful implementation include intuitive navigation, relevant content, seamless workflow integration, and EMR incorporation.
• Further piloting in real-world general practice settings is planned to evaluate impact and feasibility.