Improving antibiotic use for patients with respiratory infection using an educational intervention

Antibiotic overuse is a growing public health problem. Interventions to optimise antibiotic prescribing by practitioners have shown effectiveness. This effect however diminshed in time. With an educational intervention for general practitioners embedded within the practice organisation of the Dutch College of Genral Practitioners (defining targets for improvements) we aim to achieve a longer term positive effect on antibitoic prescribing quality.

Education on guidelines, combined with quality targets within the accreditation procedure improves quality of antibiotic prescribing

base-line (year prior to the intervention)

1: year after the intervenion

2: second year after the intervention

3: third year after the intervention

These data will be collected for periodes of 12 months anonymously via pharmacies.

Education at the primary care center (duration: 1 hour) will be provided to improve antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections. In the control practices, education with respect to correct prescription of proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) will be given. Both groups serve as each others controles. The intervention is aimed at all general practitioners in the practice stimulating them to follow the guidelines of the Dutch College of Genral Practitioners. The primary outcome of the study is the number of antibiotic and PPI prescriptions per 1000 patients per year. THese data will be collected anonymously via pharmacies.