How can community pharmacists improve antibiotic use among outpatients? A qualitative study of pharmacists' clinical reasoning.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antibiotics are widely overused, with over 25% of prescriptions in primary care deemed unnecessary or inappropriate. In France, as in many countries, community pharmacists (CPs)-often in collaboration with prescribers-can modify inappropriate prescriptions or refuse to dispense antibiotics through pharmaceutical interventions (PIs). However, the role of PIs and the clinical reasoning underpinning pharmacists' decisions remain poorly described.

Aim

To identify the factors considered by CPs when making PIs related to antibiotic dispensing, and to explore how these factors influence their practice.

Methods

This qualitative study involved face-to-face interviews with French CPs. Data were analysed thematically using an integrative approach by two independent re

SUBMITTER: Slekovec C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12596179 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature