Physicians decreased the antibiotic prescription to those children who received primary care using the parent-focused booklet as a tool on childhood fever, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Annals of Family Medicine.// As part of a two-armed cluster-randomized trial at 20 out-of-hours general practice centers in The Netherlands, family physicians in the intervention group had access to a booklet on children's fever. The booklet, designed to be used in discussion with parents, provided advice on when to consult a family physician, self-management strategies, and the duration of common childhood infections. The study included 25,355 children. Antibiotic prescribing was not significantly different in the intervention and control groups, however, after adjusting for compliance (use of the booklet), there was a significant reduction in antibiotic prescribing in children managed by a family physician using the booklet (n=3407) compared to children in the control group. Children in the intervention group were also less likely to receive a prescription for any medication, including non-antibiotic medicines. Although the reduction in antibiotic prescribing in this implementation study was modest, the authors suggest that it provides evidence of the likely 'real world' benefits and efficacy of the intervention and its relevance to efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
‘A parent-focused booklet can be a tool to advice parents on the time of consultation, discuss the duration of common childhood infections and strategies for self-management.’
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Source-Eurekalert