ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Community Antibiotic Prescribing and Stewardship: A Qualitative Interview Study with General Practitioners in England.
Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Primary care practitioners' experiences managing urinary tract infections: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence-based appraisal of two guidelines for the diagnosis of suspected, uncomplicated urinary tract infections in primary care: a diagnostic accuracy validation study.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2023Trial
- Article
- In-hospital antimicrobial use and multidrug-resistant infections among COVID-19 patients in Northern Malaysia (COVAM): a multicentre study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Trends in antibiotic dispensing for children in Belgian ambulatory care: time series analysis before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Adherence to antibiotic prescribing guidelines in Dutch primary care: an analysis of national prescription data on ear and respiratory tract symptoms and conditions among 384 general practices.Family practice · 2025Article
- Community antibiotic consumption in the European Union/European economic area: late-pandemic rebound and seasonality analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- How, why and when are delayed (back-up) antibiotic prescriptions used in primary care? A realist review integrating concepts of uncertainty in healthcare.BMC public health · 2024Review
- Diagnosis and management of acute infections during telehealth consultations in Australian general practice: a qualitative study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Healthcare commissioners' experience with antibiotic resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Patterns of GP and nurse independent prescriber prescriptions for antibiotics dispensed in the community in England: a retrospective analysis.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2023Article
- The role of primary care during the pandemic: shared experiences from providers in five European countries.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial stewardship support for general practices in England: a qualitative interview study.BJGP open · 2023Article
- Prediction of tsunami of resistance to some antibiotics is not far-fetched which used during COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2023Review
- Antibiotic use in township hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shandong, China.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2022Article
- COVID-19 Mixed Impact on Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities: A Qualitative Study in UK-Based Hospitals.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial stewardship programme implementation in hospitals - an exploration informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.The Journal of hospital infection · 2022Article
- Serologic response and safety of COVID-19 vaccination in HSCT or CAR T-cell recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Experimental hematology & oncology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the delivery of primary care services. We aimed to identify general practitioners' (GPs') perceptions and experiences of how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in general practice in England. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 GPs at two time-points: autumn 2020 (14 interviews) and spring 2021 (10 interviews). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically, taking a longitudinal approach. Participants reported a lower threshold for antibiotic prescribing (and fewer consultations) for respiratory infections and COVID-19 symptoms early in the pandemic, then returning to more usual (pre-pandemic) prescribing. They perceived the pandemic as having had less impact on antibiotic prescribing for urinary and skin infections. Participants perceived the changing ways of working and consulting (e.g., proportions of remote and in-person consultations) in addition to changing patient presentations and GP workloads as influencing the fluctuations in antibiotic prescribing. This was compounded by decreased engagement with, and priority of, AMS due to COVID-19-related urgent priorities. Re-engagement with AMS is needed, e.g., through reviving antibiotic prescribing feedback and targets/incentives. The pandemic disrupted, and required adaptations in, the usual ways of working and AMS. It is now important to identify opportunities, e.g., for re-organising ways of managing infections and AMS in the future.
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