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Quality improvement
Randomised controlled trial
Delayed prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care results in lower antibiotic use
  1. Morten Lindbæk
  1. Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care, Oslo, Norway
  1. Correspondence to : Morten Lindbæk, Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care, PO Box 1130 Blindern, Oslo NO 0317, Norway; morten.lindbak{at}medisin.uio.no

https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2014-110012

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    Commentary on: Little P, Moore M, Kelly J, et al. Delayed antibiotic prescribing strategies for respiratory tract infections in primary care: pragmatic, factorial, randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2014;348:g1606.OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text

    Context

    Eighty to 90% of all antibiotics are prescribed in primary care, mostly by general practitioners (GPs). Around 60% of these are prescribed for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs), prescriptions which in many cases are unnecessary as most RTIs are either self-limiting bacterial conditions or of viral origin. A clear relationship between total antibiotic prescribing and development of resistance has been demonstrated, both on an individual and a societal level.1 ,2 However, in primary care the diagnostic tools are limited, resulting in diagnostic uncertainty, and it is often not easy to single out the few …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.