Introduction: Antibiotic overuse for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is a significant problem in Emergency Departments (EDs). DECISION+, a training program on shared decision making (SDM) and a decision aid for antibiotic use in ARIs, reduces patients’ use of antibiotics for ARIs in primary care, but has never been studied in the ED setting. The objectives of this study are to assess the intention of ED physicians to adopt SDM about antibiotic use in ARIs and to identify barriers and facilitators about adopting SDM and a decision aid for antibiotic use in ARIs. Methods: An adapted version of DECISION+ (1-hour seminar) was offered to physicians of two academic EDs (Quebec, Canada) in fall 2015. A validated questionnaire was administered to participants before and after the seminar. This questionnaire contains three items measuring the intention to adopt SDM using a 7-point Likert scale [ranging from 1 (very unlikely) to 7 (very likely)]. We performed descriptive analyses for demographic characteristics and a paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare pre- and post-training intention to adopt SDM (α=.05). A debriefing session with the participants identified potential barriers and facilitators about implementing SDM and using a decision aid regarding antibiotic use for ARIs. Two researchers analysed the recorded audio material. Results: 41% (23/56) of eligible physicians received the intervention. 74 % of participants had already heard of SDM and 40% felt they already used SDM in their practice. The median intention to adopt SDM was 6 (IQR 5-6) before and 6 (IQR 5-6) after the seminar (P = .23). One participant did not answer the questionnaire after the seminar and his results were excluded from the comparative analysis. We identified 20 specific barriers to adopting SDM for deciding about antibiotics use for ARIs in the ED (e.g., lack of time) and 13 facilitators (e.g., public health campaign). Conclusion: ED physicians’ baseline intention to adopt SDM with patients for antibiotic use in ARIs is high. The adapted tutorial of DECISION+ did not change this intention. This could be explained by the social desirability of SDM. Further studies must be conducted to adapt DECISION+ to the ED setting and also to assess the impact of DECISION+ on the actual prescription and use of antibiotics for ARIs.
Feasibility of a randomised trial of a continuing medical education program in shared decision-making on the use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections in primary care: the DECISION+ pilot trial
