Changing antibiotic prescribing practices in outpatient primary care settings in China: study protocol for a health information system-based cluster-randomised crossover controlled trial v1

protocols.io ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anonymous not provided
BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e051823
Author(s):  
Xavier Bosch-Capblanch ◽  
Angela Oyo-Ita ◽  
Artur Manuel Muloliwa ◽  
Richard B Yapi ◽  
Christian Auer ◽  
...  

IntroductionFront-line health workers in remote health facilities are the first contact of the formal health sector and are confronted with life-saving decisions. Health information systems (HIS) support the collection and use of health related data. However, HIS focus on reporting and are unfit to support decisions. Since data tools are paper-based in most primary healthcare settings, we have produced an innovative Paper-based Health Information System in Comprehensive Care (PHISICC) using a human-centred design approach. We are carrying out a cluster randomised controlled trial in three African countries to assess the effects of PHISICC compared with the current systems.Methods and analysisStudy areas are in rural zones of Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Nigeria. Seventy health facilities in each country have been randomly allocated to using PHISICC tools or to continuing to use the regular HIS tools. We have randomly selected households in the catchment areas of each health facility to collect outcomes’ data (household surveys have been carried out in two of the three countries and the end-line data collection is planned for mid-2021). Primary outcomes include data quality and use, coverage of health services and health workers satisfaction; secondary outcomes are additional data quality and use parameters, childhood mortality and additional health workers and clients experience with the system. Just prior to the implementation of the trial, we had to relocate the study site in Mozambique due to unforeseen logistical issues. The effects of the intervention will be estimated using regression models and accounting for clustering using random effects.Ethics and disseminationEthics committees in Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Nigeria approved the trials. We plan to disseminate our findings, data and research materials among researchers and policy-makers. We aim at having our findings included in systematic reviews on health systems interventions and future guidance development on HIS.Trial registration numberPACTR201904664660639; Pre-results.


Trials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafa Ruiz ◽  
Ana Moragas ◽  
Marta Trapero-Bertran ◽  
Antoni Sisó ◽  
Anna Berenguera ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite their marginal benefit, about 60% of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) are currently treated with antibiotics in Catalonia. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a continuous disease-focused intervention (C-reactive protein [CRP]) and an illness-focused intervention (enhancement of communication skills to optimise doctor-patient consultations) on antibiotic prescribing in patients with ALRTIs in Catalan primary care centres. Methods/design A cluster randomised, factorial, controlled trial aimed at including 20 primary care centres (N = 2940 patients) with patients older than 18 years of age presenting for a first consultation with an ALRTI will be included in the study. Primary care centres will be identified on the basis of socioeconomic data and antibiotic consumption. Centres will be randomly assigned according to hierarchical clustering to any of four trial arms: usual care, CRP testing, enhanced communication skills backed up with patient leaflets, or combined interventions. A cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis will be performed from the societal and national healthcare system perspectives, and the time horizon of the analysis will be 1 year. Two qualitative studies (pre- and post-clinical trial) aimed to identify the expectations and concerns of patients with ALRTIs and the barriers and facilitators of each intervention arm will be run. Family doctors and nurses assigned to the interventions will participate in a 2-h training workshop before the inception of the trial and will receive a monthly intervention-tailored training module during the year of the trial period. Primary outcomes will be antibiotic use within the first 6 weeks, duration of moderate to severe cough, and the quality-adjusted life-years. Secondary outcomes will be duration of illness and severity of cough measured using a symptom diary, healthcare re-consultations, hospital admissions, and complications. Healthcare costs will be considered and expressed in 2021 euros (year foreseen to finalise the study) of the current year of the analysis. Univariate and multivariate sensitivity analyses will be carried out. Discussion The ISAAC-CAT project will contribute to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of different strategies for more appropriate antibiotic prescribing that are currently out of the scope of the actual clinical guidelines. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03931577.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0259065
Author(s):  
Yue Chang ◽  
Yuanfan Yao ◽  
Zhezhe Cui ◽  
Guanghong Yang ◽  
Duan Li ◽  
...  

Background The overuse and abuse of antibiotics is a major risk factor for antibiotic resistance in primary care settings of China. In this study, the effectiveness of an automatically-presented, privacy-protecting, computer information technology (IT)-based antibiotic feedback intervention will be evaluated to determine whether it can reduce antibiotic prescribing rates and unreasonable prescribing behaviours. Methods We will pilot and develop a cluster-randomised, open controlled, crossover, superiority trial. A total of 320 outpatient physicians in 6 counties of Guizhou province who met the standard will be randomly divided into intervention group and control group with a primary care hospital being the unit of cluster allocation. In the intervention group, the three components of the feedback intervention included: 1. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based real-time warnings of improper antibiotic use; 2. Pop-up windows of antibiotic prescription rate ranking; 3. Distribution of educational manuals. In the control group, no form of intervention will be provided. The trial will last for 6 months and will be divided into two phases of three months each. The two groups will crossover after 3 months. The primary outcome is the 10-day antibiotic prescription rate of physicians. The secondary outcome is the rational use of antibiotic prescriptions. The acceptability and feasibility of this feedback intervention study will be evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative assessment methods. Discussion This study will overcome limitations of our previous study, which only focused on reducing antibiotic prescription rates. AI techniques and an educational intervention will be used in this study to effectively reduce antibiotic prescription rates and antibiotic irregularities. This study will also provide new ideas and approaches for further research in this area. Trial registration ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN13817256. Registered on 11 January 2020.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiling Guo ◽  
Zoe Jane-Lara Hildon ◽  
Victor Weng Keong Loh ◽  
Meena Sundram ◽  
Muhamad Alif Bin Ibrahim ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Singapore’s healthcare system allows both antibiotic prescribing and dispensing across public and private primary care settings, presenting an ideal context to learn from systems where dispensing is closely tied to diverse operational models and funding mechanisms. Aim: To explore processes underpinning decision-making for antibiotic prescribing by primary care doctors in Singapore, by examining doctors’ experiences in different primary care settings. Methods: Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 doctors working in publicly funded primary care clinics (polyclinics) and 13 doctors working in private general practitioner (GP) clinics (solo, small group and large group practices). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using applied thematic analysis. Results: Given the lack of National Guidelines for antibiotic prescribing in the Singapore context, this practice is currently non-standardised in both private and publicly funded primary care settings. Themes contributing to best practice narratives relate to having independent funding sources and control over drug formulary orders, and valuing reduction in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The existence of trusting patient-doctor relationships, and reasonable patient loads were observed to allow joint participatory and informed decision-making that further enabled appropriate prescribing. The importance of monitoring and application of data/evaluations to inform practice was a minority theme, nevertheless underpinning all levels of optimal care delivery.Conclusions: A model for appropriate antibiotic prescribing-related interventions needs to prioritise addressing and shaping organisational and personal Valuing of AMR reduction. These values have to also Align with wider systemic constraints experienced in publicly funded institutions, operational management of private clinics and interactions with patients at the interpersonal level. The overcoming of such constraints and allowing time for patient Liaison and trust building will crystalise these earlier initiatives. Use of data to monitor and Evaluate antibiotic prescribing, informing optimal delivery systems should be routinely shared for transparency and to improve prescribing practices. These dimensions are summarised in the VALUE model for appropriate antibiotic prescribing and stewardship in primary care, which is recommended as transferable to diverse contexts.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document