Volume 202 - Issue 4
Antibiotic prescribing practice in residential aged care facilities — health care providers' perspectives
Authors: Ching Jou Lim, Megan W-L Kwong and David C M Kong
Med J Aust 2015; 202 (4): 180. || doi: 10.5694/mja14.01422
Published online: 2 March 2015
Published online: 2 March 2015
In reply: Our focus was the providers’ perspectives, but we acknowledge the importance of the consumer alongside
In reply: We acknowledge the importance of the consumer in shared decision making regarding patient care. Our focus was to explore antibiotic prescribing practices from health care providers' perspectives,1 including workflow-related factors, in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).
We aimed to identify the potential for point-of-care tools in RACFs, among other interventions. Not surprisingly, a perception of consumer demand for antibiotics was reported, and this has been evident in other publications.2-4 Nevertheless, the views of consumers were outside the scope of our study.
Importantly, we remain interested in consumer perspectives on antibiotic use. Members of this research team are directly involved with consumer-based activities related to antibiotic prescribing, such as developing clinical care standards.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Lim CJ, Kwong MW-L, Stuart RL, et al. Antibiotic prescribing practice in residential aged care facilities — health care providers' perspectives. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 101-105. _GoBack
- Consumers Health Forum of Australia. Community Quality Use of Medicines and Diagnostics Project. Consumer and general practice use of antibiotics: a consumer information and discussion paper. Canberra: CHF, 2011. 2
- McNulty CAM, Boyle P, Nichols T, et al. The public's attitudes to and compliance with antibiotics. J Antimicrob Chemother 2007; 60 Suppl 1: i63-i68. 3
- Coenen S, Michiels B, Renard D, et al. Antibiotic prescribing for acute cough: the effect of perceived patient demand. Br J Gen Pract 2006; 56: 183-190. lefthere