Browsing by Subject "Inappropriate Prescribing"

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    Antibiotic overuse for acute respiratory tract infections in Sri Lanka: a qualitative study of outpatients and their physicians.
    (BMC Fam Pract, 2018-03-01) Tillekeratne, L Gayani; Bodinayake, Champica K; Dabrera, Thushani; Nagahawatte, Ajith; Arachchi, Wasantha Kodikara; Sooriyaarachchi, Anoji; Stewart, Kearsley; Watt, Melissa; Østbye, Truls; Woods, Christopher W
    BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are a common reason for antibiotic overuse worldwide. We previously showed that over 80% of outpatients presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka with influenza-like illness received antibiotic prescriptions, although almost half were later confirmed to have influenza. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess Sri Lankan patients' and physicians' attitudes towards ARTI diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 outpatients with ARTIs and five physicians in the Outpatient Department (OPD) at a large, public tertiary care hospital in southern Sri Lanka. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes related to ARTI diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Patients frequently sought ARTI care in the public sector due to the receipt of free care and the perception that government hospitals carried a sense of responsibility for patients' health. Patients reported multiple medical visits for their illnesses of short duration and many indicated that they were seeking care in the OPD while at the hospital for another reason. While patients generally expected to receive medication prescriptions at their visit, most patients were not specifically seeking an antibiotic prescription. However, more than 70% of patients received antibiotic prescriptions at their OPD visit. Physicians incorrectly perceived that patients desired antibiotics or "capsules," a common formulation of antibiotics dispensed in this outpatient setting, and cited patient demand as an important cause of antibiotic overuse. Physicians also indicated that high patient volume and fear of bacterial superinfection drove antibiotic overuse. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in this study were seeking medication prescriptions for their ARTIs, but physicians incorrectly perceived that antibiotic prescriptions were desired. High patient volume and fear of bacterial superinfection were also important factors in antibiotic overuse. Training of physicians regarding guideline-concordant management and dealing with diagnostic uncertainty, education of patients regarding ARTI etiology and management, and systematic changes in the public outpatient care structure may help decrease unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for ARTIs in this setting.
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    Early prescribing outcomes after exporting the EQUIPPED medication safety improvement programme.
    (BMJ open quality, 2021-11) Vaughan, Camille P; Hwang, Ula; Vandenberg, Ann E; Leong, Traci; Wu, Daniel; Stevens, Melissa B; Clevenger, Carolyn; Eucker, Stephanie; Genes, Nick; Huang, Wennie; Ikpe-Ekpo, Edidiong; Nassisi, Denise; Previl, Laura; Rodriguez, Sandra; Sanon, Martine; Schlientz, David; Vigliotti, Debbie; Hastings, S Nicole
    Enhancing quality of prescribing practices for older adults discharged from the Emergency Department (EQUIPPED) aims to reduce the monthly proportion of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) prescribed to older adults discharged from the ED to 5% or less. We describe prescribing outcomes at three academic health systems adapting and sequentially implementing the EQUIPPED medication safety programme.EQUIPPED was adapted from a model developed in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) and sequentially implemented in one academic health system per year over a 3-year period. The monthly proportion of PIMs, as defined by the 2015 American Geriatrics Beers Criteria, of all medications prescribed to adults aged 65 years and older at discharge was assessed for 6 months preimplementation until 12 months postimplementation using a generalised linear time series model with a Poisson distribution.The EQUIPPED programme was translated from the VA health system and its electronic medical record into three health systems each using a version of the Epic electronic medical record. Adaptation occurred through local modification of order sets and in the generation and delivery of provider prescribing reports by local champions. Baseline monthly PIM proportions 6 months prior to implementation at the three sites were 5.6% (95% CI 5.0% to 6.3%), 5.8% (95% CI 5.0% to 6.6%) and 7.3% (95% CI 6.4% to 9.2%), respectively. Evaluation of monthly prescribing including the twelve months post-EQUIPPED implementation demonstrated significant reduction in PIMs at one of the three sites. In exploratory analyses, the proportion of benzodiazepine prescriptions decreased across all sites from approximately 17% of PIMs at baseline to 9.5%-12% postimplementation, although not all reached statistical significance.EQUIPPED is feasible to implement outside the VA system. While the impact of the EQUIPPED model may vary across different health systems, results from this initial translation suggest significant reduction in specific high-risk drug classes may be an appropriate target for improvement at sites with relatively low baseline PIM prescribing rates.