PRACTICE PARTNER
Campaign Provides
Strategies for Wise
Use of Antibiotics
Y
ou assess a patient presenting with a sore
throat. You believe that the symptoms will
resolve without antibiotics. The patient
believes otherwise. One strategy you may
want to employ is a delayed prescription. You write the
prescription, and then provide advice to delay filling the
prescription for a specified number of days. Research
has found that it is unlikely that the patient will have
the prescription filled – in fact, only about one in three
of these prescriptions are filled.
This strategy is part of a national campaign to help
clinicians and patients engage in conversations about
unnecessary antibiotic use. The current priorities for An-
tibiotics Wisely include addressing overuse in the com-
munity, where 92 per cent of antibiotics are prescribed.
This year’s campaign efforts are focused on antibiotics for
acute upper respiratory tract infections in primary care, as
well as asymptomatic bacteriuria in long-term care.
Another strategy offered up by the campaign is to
provide the patient with an information sheet, re-
ferred to as a Viral Prescription. This information
sheet explains to the patient that they did not receive a
prescription for antibiotics because they presented with
symptoms that suggest a viral infection. The informa-
tion sheet then goes on to explain that antibiotics are
not effective in treating viral infections and may, in fact,
cause harm, i.e., severe diarrhea.
“Don’t misinterpret patients’ or parental concern for a
desire for antibiotics,” states the campaign. “Symptom
control and access to follow-up, if needed, are often
what they are looking for.”
The campaign makes the point that patient satisfac-
tion is linked to quality communication, not the receipt
of a prescription.
The CPSO is very supportive of the campaign’s goal
to raise awareness, said Dr. Nancy Whitmore, CPSO
Registrar/CEO. “Providing clinicians with evidence-
based tools and patient materials will support conversa-
tions about unnecessary antibiotic prescribing,” said Dr.
Whitmore.
The Viral Prescription Pad and Delayed Prescription
tools can be integrated into your existing EMR. The
e-forms and accompanying instructions were co-devel-
oped by OntarioMD and Choosing Wisely Canada. For
any questions related to integrating OntarioMD materi-
als, please contact: [email protected].
Using Antibiotics Wisely is organized by Choosing
Wisely Canada, with support from Health Canada,
Public Health Agency of Canada, and The College of
Family Physicians of Canada.
ISSUE 4, 2018 DIALOGUE
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