Antibiotic prescribing in residential aged care facilities — health care providers' perspectives

Kilroy, Georgina

doi:10.5694/mja14.01299

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To the Editor: I was interested to gain some insight into the drivers of antibiotic prescribing in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs).1 I was surprised, though, that Lim and colleagues did not include residents or their families in consultations, opting to focus solely on the perspectives of health care providers.

Therapeutic Guidelines Limited, Melbourne, VIC.

Correspondence: georginakilroy@gmail.com

Competing interests:

The views expressed in this letter are mine and do not necessarily represent those of Therapeutic Guidelines Limited.

1. Lim CJ, Kwong MW-L, Stuart RL, et al. Antibiotic prescribing practice in residential aged care facilities — health care providers' perspectives. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 101-105. <MJA full text>
2. McKenzie D, Rawlins M, Del Mar C. Antibiotic stewardship: what's it all about? Aust Prescr 2013; 36: 116-120.
3. Mustafa M, Wood F, Butler CC, Elwyn G. Managing expectations of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections: a qualitative study. Ann Fam Med 2014; 12: 29-36.
4. Cockburn J, Pit S. Prescribing behaviour in clinical practice: patients' expectations and doctors' perceptions of patients' expectations — a questionnaire study. BMJ 1997; 315: 520-523.
5. Coenen S, Francis N, Kelly M, et al. Are patient views about antibiotics related to clinician perceptions, management and outcome? A multi-country study in outpatients with acute cough. PLOS One 2013; 8: e76691.

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