ArticleNPJ primary care respiratory medicine2021
Does diagnostic uncertainty increase antibiotic prescribing in primary care?
Article in NPJ primary care respiratory medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cost-effectiveness of point-of-care diagnostics for AMR: a systematic review.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2024Pooled it
- Physicians', pharmacists', and nurses' education of patients about antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance in primary care settings: a qualitative systematic literature review.Frontiers in antibiotics · 2024Pooled it
- Biomarkers as point-of-care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in people with acute respiratory infections in primary care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of C-reactive protein rapid testing and communication skills training on antibiotic prescribing for acute cough. A cluster factorial randomised controlled trial.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2024Trial
- Determinants of antibiotic prescription pattern and appropriateness in paediatric care in Ghana: a generalized estimating equation approach.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) in Europe: Surveillance Challenges, Emerging Threats and Public Health Preparedness.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Point-of-Care Multiplex NAAT for Acute Pharyngitis in the Urgent Care: Detection Patterns, Associated Antimicrobial Prescribing, and Stakeholder Perceptions.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators to implementing e-learning for infection management in primary care: a scoping review.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Antibiotic use appropriateness and its determinant factors among pediatric pneumonia patients in selected comprehensive specialized hospitals in Northwest Amhara, 2024: a prospective follow-up study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Factors influencing antibiotic prescription for respiratory tract infections among prescribers in Jinja City, Uganda: a qualitative study.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of ICU physicians on antimicrobial use and resistance: a scoping review.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2026Review
- Article
- Wrong diagnosis - Wrong antimicrobials: Rise in antimicrobial resistance in developing countries.IDCases · 2025Article
- Factors behind Antibiotic Therapy: A Survey of Primary Care Pediatricians in Lombardy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- A proof-of-principle study for the point-of-care detection of ESBL (CTX-M) by NG-TestJAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- What influences antibiotic initiation? Developing a scale to measure nursing behaviour in residential aged-care facilities.Nursing open · 2024Article
- Exploring factors for antibiotic over-prescription in children with acute upper respiratory tract infections in Assiut, Egypt: a qualitative study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Article
- Communication training for general practitioners aimed at improving antibiotic prescribing: a controlled before-after study in multicultural Dutch cities.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Uncovering doctors' perceived barriers and facilitators of antibiotic prescribing behaviours: a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework.Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis · 2023Article
- Bidirectional Interaction between Tetracyclines and Gut Microbiome.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the association between factors relevant to diagnostic uncertainty and physicians' antibiotic-prescribing behaviour in primary care. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 327 physicians that measured their diagnostic ability, perceived frequency of diagnostic uncertainty, tolerance, and perceived patient tolerance of uncertainty. Physician antibiotic-prescribing behaviours were assessed based on their prescriptions (n = 207,804) of three conditions: upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs, antibiotics not recommended), acute tonsillitis (cautious use of antibiotics), and pneumonia (antibiotics recommended). A two-level logistic regression model determined the association between diagnostic uncertainty factors and physician antibiotic prescribing. Physicians perceived a higher frequency of diagnostic uncertainty resulting in higher antibiotic use for URTIs and less antibiotic use for pneumonia. Higher antibiotic use for acute tonsillitis was related to a low tolerance of uncertainty of physicians and patients. This study suggests that reducing diagnostic uncertainty and improving physician and patient uncertainty management could reduce antibiotic use.
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