Re: Impact of Geodemographic Factors on Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute, Uncomplicated Bronchitis or Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

[摘要] To the Editor: I found the focus on the problem of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing of the article “Impact ofGeodemographic Factors on Antibiotic Prescribing forAcute, Uncomplicated Bronchitis or Upper RespiratoryTract Infection”1 of interest, especially as the issue of howto address the problem of antibiotics overuse has been inneed of a solution for more than 20 years.2,3 Dilworth et al.discussed interventions underpinned by some of their findings, stating that “antibiotic prescribing interventions foradult acute bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infectionscould target patients living in areas with higher socioeconomic status.” However, interventions focusing on wherepatients live may be missing a key element of physician prescribing behavior and the patient–physician relationship.The interventions discussed in this article focus on changingphysician prescribing behavior; however, patients in thisstudy were most likely to receive antibiotics at urgent caretreatment centers (whose standard operating procedure isgetting patients in and out fast with little continuity of careand no development of patient–physician relationships),leading to more questions about where and how the intervention might actually work.

[学科分类] 过敏症与临床免疫学