SynthesisThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2017
Systematic review of public-targeted communication interventions to improve antibiotic use.
Synthesis in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessment of global antimicrobial resistance campaigns conducted to improve public awareness and antimicrobial use behaviours: a rapid systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of implementing interventions to improve appropriate antibiotic use in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.Implementation science : IS · 2022Pooled it
- The vicious cycle of the public's irrational use of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections: A mixed methods systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Improving antibiotic use through behaviour change: a systematic review of interventions evaluated in low- and middle-income countries.Health policy and planning · 2021Pooled it
- Public target interventions to reduce the inappropriate use of medicines or medical procedures: a systematic review.Implementation science : IS · 2020Pooled it
- The effects of the primary health care providers' prescription behavior interventions to improve the rational use of antibiotics: a systematic review.Global health research and policy · 2020Pooled it
- Public Awareness about Antibiotic Use and Resistance among Residents in Highland Areas of Vietnam.BioMed research international · 2019Trial
- Impact of a multifaceted intervention programme on antibiotic prescribing in out-of-hours primary care in five European countries: secondary analyses of the HAPPY PATIENT project.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Article
- The Sore Throat and Antibiotic Resistance (STAR) Study in Malaysia: Nationwide Survey of Antibiotic Use for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Sore Throat.Advances in therapy · 2026Article
- Improving antibiotic prescribing in LMICs: Insights from an outpatient clinic in Pakistan.New microbes and new infections · 2026Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Use and Resistance: A Cross-Sectional Study from Oman.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- The effect of antimicrobial stewardship interventions upon antimicrobial consumption and appropriateness in Vietnamese district hospitals: a cluster randomised trial.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Article
- Status and implications of the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards AWaRe antibiotic use, resistance and stewardship among low- and middle-income countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Review
- Public-targeted interventions addressing antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Antibiotic Use In Utero and Early Life and Risk of Chronic Childhood Conditions in New Zealand: Protocol for a Data Linkage Retrospective Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Insights Into Antimicrobial Resistance From Dental Students in the Asia-Pacific Region.International dental journal · 2025Article
- Beyond the echo chamber: reframing AMR awareness efforts to reach the other 99.9.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2025Article
- Healthcare providers' perspectives on antimicrobial resistance in Northwest Syria: an exploratory qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Dilemmas of care: Healthcare seeking behaviours and antibiotic use among women in rural communities in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2024Article
- Antimicrobial Prescribing Patterns in GP Practices in Northern Ireland.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Excessive use of antibiotics accelerates the acquisition/spread of antimicrobial resistance. A systematic review was conducted to identify the components of successful communication interventions targeted at the general public to improve antibiotic use. Methods: The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched. Search terms were related to the population (public, community), intervention (campaign, mass media) and outcomes (antibiotic, antimicrobial resistance). References were screened for inclusion by one author with a random subset of 10% screened by a second author. No date restrictions were applied and only articles in the English language were considered. Studies had to have a control group or be an interrupted time-series. Outcomes had to measure change in antibiotic-related prescribing/consumption and/or the public's knowledge, attitudes or behaviour. Two reviewers assessed the quality of studies. Narrative synthesis was performed. Results: Fourteen studies were included with an estimated 74-75 million participants. Most studies were conducted in the United States or Europe and targeted both the general public and clinicians. Twelve of the studies measured changes in antibiotic prescribing. There was quite strong ( P < 0·05 to ≥ 0·01) to very strong ( P < 0·001) evidence that interventions that targeted prescribing for RTIs were associated with decreases in antibiotic prescribing; the majority of these studies reported reductions of greater than -14% with the largest effect size reaching -30%. Conclusion: Multi-faceted communication interventions that target both the general public and clinicians can reduce antibiotic prescribing in high-income countries but the sustainability of reductions in antibiotic prescribing is unclear.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.