A major University study which led to long-term reductions in the number of antibiotic prescriptions byWelsh GPs could see ‘unnecessary’ prescriptions cut by 1.6 million per year, if replicated across the UK.
The Stemming the Tide of Antimicrobial Resistance, or ‘STAR’, programme was designed by and implemented by experts from the University’s School of Medicine’s Institute of Primary Care and Public Health and South East Wales Trials Unit (SEWTU) to cut the number of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for common conditions such as acute cough and sinusitis. Led by Professor Chris Butler, the two-year trial involved 68 practices across Wales covering some 480,000 patients offered GPs access to antibiotic prescribing and resistance data derived from their own practices and advanced ‘consulting skills’ tools. The learning tools, the result of over 15 years of work in infections and communication sciences by members of the Institute of Primary Care and Public Health team, are designed to enable GPs to discuss treatment options more effectively with their patients to better achieve evidence-based, shared and acceptable treatment decisions. The study gave GPs access to on-line learning materials including videos, and allowed them the flexibility to learn and try out the new skills with their patients at times that were convenient to themselves. “Antibiotic resistance remains one of the most important public health issues of our time, with antibiotic prescribing driving up resistance,” said Prof. Butler, who led the study. “As most antibiotics are prescribed in General Practice, safely reducing the number of unnecessary prescriptions is essential. The STAR programme helped Welsh GPs gain new skills derived from motivational interviewing so they could achieve evidence-based treatment while taking patient perspectives into account. “Although the percentage reduction in antibiotic prescribing was fairly small, based on national population estimates, if the findings of this study were replicated across the whole of Wales this would imply a reduction of well over 78,000 dispensed oral antibiotic items per year, and if replicated across the UK, a reduction of over 1.6 million dispensed oral antibiotic items per year,” he added. The results of the study were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
