Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic reduced unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory infections by 50% without diminishing patient satisfaction by implementing an ambulatory antibiotic stewardship program.
The study, published Sept. 16 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, followed the implementation of the program at Mayo Clinic facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and Florida starting in July 2020. The program targeted antibiotic use for tier 3 URI symptoms, which are symptoms for which antibiotics should never be prescribed.
Researchers surveyed patients to assess for patient satisfaction pre- and post-implementation. A total of 75,874 tier 3 primary care encounters happened during the three-year study period. Among the nearly 3,000 patients surveyed, tier 3 antibiotic prescribing decreased from 28.3% to 14.1% post-implementation, but patient satisfaction scores did not change.
"Programmatic efforts to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing should not be dissuaded by concerns over reduced patient satisfaction, although empowering providers with tools to educate patients and provide non-antibiotic value are paramount," the study authors said.