Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions in Primary Healthcare in Saskatchewan by Identifying High Prescribers

Not Applicable

Withdrawn

• Conditions: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
• Interventions: Behavioral: Audit and Feedback Letter

• Registration Number: NCT05557214
• Lead Sponsor: Saskatchewan Health Authority - Regina Area

Brief Summary

Approximately 90% of antibiotics are prescribed in primary healthcare (PHC) in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020), making this an important sector for antimicrobial stewardship. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) represent a common indication in PHC for which antibiotics are often prescribed unnecessarily (Leis et al, 2020; Schwartz et al., 2020). Reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatment in this sector is a vital part of contributing to minimizing the global burden of antibiotic resistance.

The goal of this research project is to reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions among family physicians identified as high prescribers in Saskatchewan. To achieve this, the investigators will send letters to the top 25th percentile of high prescribers in PHC. The letters will contain data indicating the prescribers high antimicrobial usage as well as guidance for reducing unnecessary prescriptions and promoting appropriate lengths of prescriptions for upper respiratory tract infections.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-09-22
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-09-26
• Study First Posted: 2022-09-27
• Status Verified: 2023-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-04-11
• Last Update Posted: 2023-04-13
• Study Start: 2023-05
• Primary Completion: 2024-05
• Study Completion: 2024-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: WITHDRAWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: Not specified

Inclusion Criteria

• must be a practicing family physician in Saskatchewan
• top 25th percentile of antimicrobial prescribers

Exclusion Criteria

• fewer than 12 months of historical prescribing data available

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Audit and Feedback Letter	Audit and Feedback Letter	This group will receive 2 audit and feedback letters and a study closure letter.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Total Antibiotic Prescriptions	12 months	Total number of antibiotic prescriptions compared to covariate-adjusted baseline number of prescriptions prior to the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Total Prolonged-Duration Prescription	12 months	Number of prescriptions longer than 7 days.
Total Days of Therapy	12 months	Number of days of therapy of antimicrobials for each provider.
Antibiotic Cost	12 months	Total cost of prescribed antibiotics.
Total Specific Antibiotic Prescriptions	12 months	Number of prescriptions for specific antibiotics.