Antibiotic prescription in primary healthcare practices

Pilot intervention to implement participatory medicine for guideline-recommended antibiotic prescriptions in primary healthcare physician practices in Switzerland

Research question

The main reason for the increasing resistance is the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics. The objective of the research project is to promote shared decision-making for antibiotics treatment for three common self-limiting health conditions: Otitis media acuta, urinary tract infection and tonsillopharyngitis. The goal is to develop appropriate evidence-based information and communication tools for and with primary care physicians to stimulate shared decision-making during consultations when choosing between antibiotic prescription and wait and see approach. The developed material will focus on facilitating the knowledge transfer from physicians to patients on the benefits and harms of antibiotics and from patients to their physician about their preferences and values about treatment options. We will apply participatory approaches with front-line primary care physicians and their patients, informed by evidence from the literature and specialized physicians, to develop and adapt the material to fit the needs of busy clinical practices and to facilitate further implementation and dissemination across Switzerland in the future. 

Overview

Project leader Adrian Rohrbasser, DPhil and MSc in Evidence Based Health Care
Project team Prof Dr med Reto Auer
Tamara Scharf, research assistant
Beatrice Metry, research assistant
 Doctoral student(s) Cand.med. Deborah Schär
Study design Mixed methods
Study start
01.11.2020
Funder(s) Federal Bureau of Public Health, Institute of Primy, Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM)
External Link
https://www.star.admin.ch/star/de/home.html
Internal Link
https://www.biham.unibe.ch/research/tools_to_facilitate_shared_decision_making/index_eng.html