Multiple intervention reduces antibiotic prescribing rates
An intervention involving education of GPs and pharmacists, as well as monitoring and feedback on prescribing behaviour, has resulted in reduced prescribing rates of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Researchers from Utrecht University Medical Centre examined the prescribing
behaviour of 89 GPs before and after the nine-month study period. Those
assigned to the intervention attended a group education meeting where
a consensus for prescribing choices was developed. Six months after this
meeting GPs received feedback on their prescribing. Training for collaborating
pharmacists was also offered, along with education materials for patients.
Prescribing rates of antibiotics for respiratory tract symptoms fell
by 4 per cent in the intervention group and rose by 8 per cent in the
control group, which was not subject to any intervention. After 15 months,
the number of antibiotic prescriptions was still lower in the intervention
group than in the period before the intervention.
The intervention did not affect patients’ satisfaction with the
service they received (BMJ 2004;329:431). |
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