PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Laytner, Lindsey A.
AU  - Trautner, Barbara W.
AU  - Nash, Susan
AU  - Zoorob, Roger
AU  - Okoh, Jennifer O.
AU  - Amenta, Eva
AU  - Olmeda, Kiara
AU  - Salinas, Juanita
AU  - Paasche-Orlow, Michael K.
AU  - Grigoryan, Larissa
TI  - Lack of Knowledge of Antibiotic Risks Contributes to Primary Care Patients’ Expectations of Antibiotics for Common Symptoms
AID  - 10.1370/afm.3161
DP  - 2024 Sep 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 421--425
VI  - 22
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/22/5/421.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/22/5/421.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2024 Sep 01; 22
AB  - Patient expectations of receiving antibiotics for common symptoms can trigger unnecessary use. We conducted a survey (n = 564) between January 2020 to June 2021 in public and private primary care clinics in Texas to study the prevalence and predictors of patients’ antibiotic expectations for common symptoms/illnesses. We surveyed Black patients (33%) and Hispanic/Latine patients (47%), and over 93% expected to receive an antibiotic for at least 1 of the 5 pre-defined symptoms/illnesses. Public clinic patients were nearly twice as likely to expect antibiotics for sore throat, diarrhea, and cold/flu than private clinic patients. Lack of knowledge of potential risks of antibiotic use was associated with increased antibiotic expectations for diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.4) and cold/flu symptoms (OR = 2.9; 95% CI, 2.0-4.4). Lower education and inadequate health literacy were predictors of antibiotic expectations for diarrhea. Future antibiotic stewardship interventions should tailor patient education materials to include information on antibiotic risks and guidance on appropriate antibiotic indications.