title: Patient knowledge and antibiotic abuse: Evidence from an audit study in China.
abstract: We conduct an audit study in which a pair of simulated patients with identical flu-like complaints visits the same physician. Simulated patient A is instructed to ask a question that showcases his/her knowledge of appropriate antibiotic use, whereas patient B is instructed to say nothing beyond describing his/her symptoms. We find that a patient who displays knowledge of appropriate antibiotics use reduces both antibiotic prescription rates and drug expenditures. Such knowledge also increases physicians' information provision about possible side effects, but has a negative impact on the quality of the physician-patient interactions. Our results suggest that antibiotics abuse in China is not driven by patients actively demanding antibiotics, but is largely a supply-side phenomenon.
authors: Department of Economics and Woodrow Wilson School, 316 Wallace Hall, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544, USA. jcurrie@princeton.edu
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Currie
authors: Wanchuan
authors: W
authors: Lin
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002681:China; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D036262:Empirical Research; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents