Use of an electronic advisory along with educating prescribers can help significantly reduce antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute bronchitis, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Researchers examined antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute bronchitis at 15 emergency departments, more than 30 urgent care clinics and more than 150 ambulatory clinics in the U.S. They studied prescribing patterns from Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2018.
An intervention to reduce antibiotic prescribing was implemented in the EDs and urgent care clinics in December 2016 and in ambulatory clinics in September 2017. The intervention included a best practice advisory for acute bronchitis treatment in the EHR and an optional, online education module.
Researchers studied 81,975 adults with acute bronchitis during the pre-intervention period and 89,571 post-intervention.
They found antibiotic prescribing rates decreased from 60.8 percent pre-intervention to 51.4 percent post-intervention. EDs experienced the largest reduction in antibiotic prescribing.