Communicate with all clinic staff members to set patient expectations
In order to communicate consistent messaging, all clinic staff members including administrative staff, medical assistants, nurses, and clinicians should be included in antibiotic stewardship efforts in order to communicate consistent messaging in setting patient expectations.
This may include a practice-wide agreement to refrain from prescribing antibiotics over the phone without an associated clinic visit.
Specific messaging about when antibiotics work and when they don’t has been shown to decrease antibiotic interest among parents. Consider implementing specific messaging in your clinic. (Goggin K et al. Reductions in Parent Interest in Receiving Antibiotics Following a 90-second Video Intervention in Outpatient Pediatric Clinics. J Pediatr. 2020;225:138-145.e1)
Identify a single leader
Include antibiotic stewardship-related duties in position descriptions or job evaluation criteria.
This could include compliance with HEDIS measures such as obtaining a rapid antigen test or throat culture before prescribing antibiotics for patients who present with sore throat.
Maintenance of certification part IV credits for American Board of Pediatrics certification could be used as incentive for practitioners’ participation in antibiotic stewardship-related quality improvement efforts.
