Developing a data-enabled nudge intervention for childhood antibiotics in primary care: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• General Practice
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Preschool children have high antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs).
• A child's antibiotic history for RTIs may predict re-consultations and workload in primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a data-enabled intervention to optimize antibiotic prescribing for acute RTIs in general practice.
• The intervention leverages a child's antibiotic history.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase qualitative study involved parents and primary care clinicians in England.
• Intervention co-design included focus groups and interviews; phase 2 involved clinician feedback on the integrated intervention.

Main Results:

• A data-driven intervention was co-created, integrating antibiotic history and a personalized leaflet into electronic medical records.
• Parents and clinicians found the intervention acceptable and feasible.
• Clinicians noted the prompt's novelty and usefulness in reviewing past antibiotic prescriptions.

Conclusions:

• Interventions integrated into practice workflows can be scaled to promote antimicrobial stewardship.
• This approach can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in primary care.
• Further research is planned to test the intervention in a trial.