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Empowering Patients to Self-Manage Common Infections: Qualitative Study Informing the Development of an
Catherine V Hayes1, Bláthnaid Mahon1, Eirwen Sides1
1Primary Care and Interventions Unit, Public Health England, Gloucester GL1 1DQ, UK.
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2021
Summary
Patients need clear advice on self-care for common infections to manage symptoms effectively. Healthcare professionals and patients agree that community pharmacies are ideal for providing this self-management and safety-netting information.
Area of Science:
- General Practice
- Infectious Diseases
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Self-limiting infections are common and can often be managed at home.
- Effective self-care and safety-netting advice can reduce unnecessary consultations and antibiotic use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore healthcare professionals' (HCPs) and patients' needs regarding self-care and safety-netting advice for common infections.
- To inform the development of patient information resources.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study using semi-structured focus groups and interviews with patients and HCPs.
- Iterative development and participant review of an information leaflet.
- Thematic analysis of qualitative data, mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
Main Results:
- Patients and HCPs identified needs for information on symptom duration, safety netting, self-care, and antibiotic use.
- Patients expressed confidence in self-care but difficulty assessing symptom severity, often seeking help earlier for dependents.
- HCPs raised concerns about patient attitudes and monitoring of advice; both groups favored community pharmacy as a first point of contact.
Conclusions:
- A patient information leaflet can support self-management of common infections in primary care and community pharmacies.
- Clear guidance is needed to help patients manage symptoms and determine when to seek further medical help.
- Community pharmacies are well-positioned to provide advice on self-care and safety-netting for common infections.
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