Managing Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing and Use in Primary Care

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotic resistance is an international health concern. The volume of antibiotic use is the leading driver of resistance, and inappropriate prescribing is the main culprit. Most antibiotic prescribing occurs in the community, with an estimated 80% of antibiotic prescriptions being issued in primary care. Thus, it is important to manage the appropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics in primary care to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Studies have suggested that the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics may be due to factors such as diagnostic uncertainty, physicians’ perception that patients would be more satisfied with the visit if antibiotics were prescribed, physicians’ perception that patients expect to be prescribed antibiotics for the visit, and patients’ demand for antibiotics. Recommendations from these studies included the following: (1) to encourage better communication between patients and healthcare providers, such as GPs, practice nurses, and pharmacists, in appropriate antibiotic use; (2) to provide decision aids to patients to assist with the shared decision making between the patient and the healthcare provider; and (3) to deliver patient education on infectious diseases such as respiratory tract infections (RTIs), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs), and appropriate antibiotic usage to reduce the expectation and the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide new insights into the management of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use (including dispensing and self-medication) in primary care, as well as to deem what intervention strategies and ideas could assist appropriate antibiotic use in the community.  Therefore, we wish to invite original research articles and reviews that address the following topics:

• Appropriate antibiotic management in primary care;
• Novel interventions that increase the public awareness of antibiotic use;
• Multi-disciplinary approaches to reduce antibiotic prescribing and use;
• Increase public knowledge around the potential danger of self-medication, storing unused antibiotics, and the sharing of antibiotics without prescriptions;
• Novel ideas (including practical, legal, ethical, political, and corporate) which are necessary to assist appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use in primary care.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ruby Biezen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• primary care
• general practice
• antimicrobial stewardship
• antimicrobial resistance
• infectious disease
• appropriate prescribing
• guidelines concordance