Using an Educational Seminar to Reduce Overprescribing of Antibiotics in Outpatient Settings

Abstract

Purpose This quality improvement project focused on educating and increasing primary care providers' knowledge about when to prescribe antibiotics appropriately through an educational intervention to increase their confidence and knowledge of prescribing antibiotics. Background The abuse of antibiotics globally has accelerated the global health problem of antimicrobial use. Increased antimicrobial use is causing severe infections, complications, extended hospital stays, high mortality, and antimicrobial resistance. Overprescribing antibiotics is a particular issue in primary care because viruses are the most common illnesses in this setting. Approximately 90% of all antibiotics are prescribed by outpatient general practitioners. Methods A descriptive design using one group pre and post-test design was used to analyze the provider's knowledge and confidence in prescribing antibiotics. Participants were actively practicing primary care providers within Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, a privately owned practice in Southern California. The final sample size was 4 participants, and the data was collected from a series of five questions on the pre and post-test surveys. The intervention was delivered through email in September 2022 with a link for the providers to watch the educational intervention. Results Key findings showed an increase in providers' confidence and knowledge after watching the educational session. Providers also reported increased confidence in their prescribing abilities after watching the educational intervention. Conclusion This project supports the need for additional studies to be completed on this topic in the future. Furthermore, this project indicates that an educational intervention on when to prescribe antibiotics is an effective way to increase healthcare providers' knowledge and confidence during patient interactions.