Reducing Expectations for Antibiotics in Patients With Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Primary Care Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Many family practitioners prescribe antibiotics for patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) to meet patients' expectations. We evaluated the impact of providing brief tablet-based information about antibiotic treatment of URTIs on patients' expectations for antibiotics and on family practitioners' antibiotic-prescribing behavior.

Methods

We performed a 3-arm randomized controlled trial among patients presenting with URTIs at 2 urban family practices in Auckland, New Zealand, during winter 2018. Participants were randomly allocated to view a presentation about the futility of antibiotic treatment of URTIs, the adverse effects associated with antibiotics, or the benefits of healthy diet and exercise (active control), immediately before their consultati

SUBMITTER: Perera AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8118493 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature