Summary of Themes Describing Family Physicians’ Views and Experiences of the URTI Consultation
| Main Theme | Description, Subthemes |
|---|---|
| Views about managing the URTI consultation | The challenges: |
| Family physicians’ preset intention not to prescribe antibiotics, when feasible | |
| Consultation is viewed as a source of conflict | |
| Assumption that patients/parents expect to be given antibiotics | |
| Family physicians’ understanding of multiple, complex determinants of patient/parent antibiotic expectation | |
| Strategies to elicit and influence expectations of antibiotics | The solutions: |
| Indirect elicitation of patient or parent expectation of antibiotics | |
| Elicit indirectly before physical examination | |
| Use physical examination and running commentary to shape patient or parent expectation of antibiotics | |
| Influence of relational, technical, and professional factors | The goals: |
| Preserve the physician-patient relationship | |
| Prescribe appropriately |
URTI = upper respiratory tract infection.