A Brief Shared Decision-Making Intervention for Acute Respiratory Infections on Antibiotic Dispensing Rates in...

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Infectious Diseases
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Antibiotic overuse for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) contributes to antimicrobial resistance.
• General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in antibiotic prescribing decisions for ARIs.
• Improving GPs' understanding of antibiotic benefit-harm evidence is essential for appropriate prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if decision aids and GP training reduce antibiotic dispensing for ARIs.
• To assess the impact of an intervention on GPs' knowledge of antibiotic benefit-harm evidence.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomized trial involving 27 Australian general practices and 122 GPs.
• Intervention group GPs received decision aids for 3 common ARIs and video-delivered training.
• Primary outcome: antibiotic dispensing rates for ARIs over 12 months; Secondary outcomes: GP knowledge, prescribing influences, and intervention acceptability.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in antibiotic dispensing rates between intervention and control groups (18% relative reduction in both).
• Intervention group showed significantly greater increases in knowledge of antibiotic benefit-harm evidence compared to the control group.
• The intervention was well-received, perceived as useful, and utilized by approximately two-thirds of intervention GPs.

Conclusions:

• A brief shared decision-making intervention did not reduce antibiotic dispensing for ARIs compared to usual care.
• The intervention effectively enhanced GPs' knowledge regarding the benefits and harms of antibiotic use for ARIs.