Looking at interventions to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice – results from a mixed-methods study

In this episode, we talk to Dr Sarah Tonkin-Crine, an Associate Professor and Health Psychologist based within the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. Title of paper: Implementing antibiotic stewardship in high prescribing English general practices: a mixed-methods studyAvailable at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2022.0298An intervention to support the implementation of three evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies was evaluated in nine high antibiotic prescribing general practices in England. General practice teams received intervention materials and chose to use them in substantially different ways in real-life settings, outside of trial conditions. AMS strategies are complex interventions that require sufficient understanding and engagement by clinicians for successful adoption and use, to obtain the full benefit in reducing antibiotic prescribing. This study highlights that remote, one-sided delivery of AMS strategies should be done cautiously to avoid misunderstanding and sub-optimal use.