ArticleBMC family practice2019
Help seeking for antibiotics; is the influence of a personal social network relevant?
Article in BMC family practice, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled 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
- Effect of an educational intervention for telephone triage nurses on out-of-hours attendance: a pragmatic randomized controlled study.BMC health services research · 2023Trial
- The effectiveness of raising Hong Kong parents' awareness of antimicrobial resistance through an education program with peer support on social media: a randomized, controlled pilot study.BMC public health · 2022Trial
- Identifying Distinct Antibiotic Behavioural Profiles in Singapore's General Population: A Latent Class Analysis.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A pill for every ill? Unpacking antibiotic misuse among Bangladeshi university students.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Development of health information materials on antimicrobial resistance with lay workers in Grahamstown/Makhanda, South Africa.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- A confirmation of the predictive utility of the Antibiotic Use Questionnaire.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Practices, strategies, and challenges in antibiotic treatment and prevention of antimicrobial resistance from the perspectives of Romanian community pharmacists and general practitioners: a Goffman-inspired qualitative interview study.Frontiers in antibiotics · 2024Article
- Survey on Untethering of the Spinal Cord and Urological Manifestations among Spina Bifida Patients in Malaysia.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Digital Marketing: A Unique Multidisciplinary Approach towards the Elimination of Viral Hepatitis.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Antimicrobial Stewardship in College and University Health Settings: A Public Health Opportunity.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Precarity and clinical determinants of healthcare-seeking behaviour and antibiotic use in rural Laos and Thailand.BMJ global health · 2020Article
- The influence of personal communities in understanding avoidable emergency department attendance: qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Use of Social Media as a Tool to Reduce Antibiotic Usage: A Neglected Approach to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance in Low and Middle Income Countries.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- Rural community perceptions of antibiotic access and understanding of antimicrobial resistance: qualitative evidence from the Health and Demographic Surveillance System site in Matlab, Bangladesh.Global health action · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHealth policy focuses on reducing antibiotic prescribing that in order to succeed requires the public to hold similar attitudes towards judicious use. Social network influences on health behaviour and attitudes are well established and yet these influences are not sufficiently acknowledged in the UK's antibiotic stewardship programmes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate individuals' attitudes and behaviours towards antibiotics and also identify the social network influences on these in the process of help seeking for self-limiting illnesses.
methodsFrom a social network approach the methods used were a personal community mapping exercise which was carried out ahead of a semi-structured interview. A purposive sample was drawn from across the Wessex region and participants were recruited via GP practices and pharmacists. In total 14 adults, and 10 parents of children, who had received a prescription for antibiotics for a self-limiting illness within the 3 months preceding the interview were recruited and interviewed.
resultsThree network types were identified; diverse, family and friend and restricted. The type of network an individual has appears to have an influence on antibiotic attitudes and behaviours. Most notably, the more diverse a network the more likely the individual will delay in help seeking from healthcare professionals as they draw upon self-care strategies advised by network members. The role of the GP varies according to network type too. Individuals' with diverse networks draw upon GP network members to provide clarity and certainty following a period of self-care. People with restricted networks are more reliant upon the GP, seek help quicker and also more likely to prioritise the GPs advice over other sources of information.
conclusionThe understanding a social network approach brings to help seeking behaviour for antibiotics could help practitioners modify their consultation approach to mitigate some uncertainties and perceptions around prescribing behaviour.
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