Barriers to optimal antibiotic use for community-acquired pneumonia at hospitals: a qualitative study.
BACKGROUND
Physician adherence to key recommendations of guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is often not optimal. A better understanding of factors influencing optimal performance is needed to plan effective change.


METHODS
The authors used semistructured interviews with care providers in three Dutch medium-sized hospitals to qualitatively study and understand barriers to appropriate antibiotic use in patients with CAP. They discussed recommendations about the prescription of empirical antibiotic therapy that adheres to the guidelines, timely administration of antibiotics, adjusting antibiotic dosage to accommodate decreased renal function, switching and streamlining therapy, and blood and sputum culturing. The authors then classified the barriers each recommendation faced into categories using a conceptual framework (Cabana).


RESULTS
Eighteen interviews were performed with residents and specialists in pulmonology and internal medicine, with medical microbiologists and a clinical pharmacist. Two additional multidisciplinary small group interviews which included nurses were performed. Each guideline recommendation elicited a different type of barrier. Regarding the choice of guideline-adherent empirical therapy, treating physicians said that they worried about patient outcome when prescribing narrow-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Regarding the timeliness of antibiotic administration, barriers such as conflicting guidelines and organisational factors (for example, delayed laboratory results, antibiotics not directly available, lack of time) were reported. Not streamlining therapy after culture results became available was thought to be due to the physicians' attitude of "never change a winning team".


CONCLUSIONS
Efforts to improve the use of antibiotics for patients with CAP should consider the range of barriers that care providers face. Each recommendation meets its own barriers. Interventions to improve adherence should be tailored to these factors.
Schouten
Jeroen A
JA
Centre for Quality of Care Research, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. j.schouten@aig.umcn.nl
Hulscher
Marlies E J L
ME
Natsch
Stephanie
S
Kullberg
Bart-Jan
BJ
van der Meer
Jos W M
JW
Grol
Richard P T M
RP
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036301:Qualitative Research
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents