The inconvincible patient: how clinicians perceive demand for antibiotics in the outpatient setting.

Background: Perceived patient demand for antibiotics drives unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in outpatient settings, but little is known about how clinicians experience this demand or how this perceived demand shapes their decision-making.

Objective: To identify how clinicians perceive patient demand for antibiotics and the way these perceptions stimulate unnecessary prescribing.

Methods: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with clinicians in outpatient settings who prescribe antibiotics.