Background: The development of new infectious disease therapies has become a public health priority given the suboptimal efficacy and adverse effects with current drugs for some patients. Understanding the factors associated with physician antibiotic prescribing preferences can help guide policymakers seeking to incentivize the development of interventions that improve patient outcomes for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
Objectives: To determine the factors associated with physician decision-making when prescribing antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI), and cellulitis.
Design: A cross-sectional online survey in April 2023.
Participants: Physicians enrolled in an online panel who reported having prescribed antibiotics within the past year.
Main Measures: Respondents were asked to select 1 to 15 characteristics that they deemed most important. From their selected characteristics, for each type of infection, they were then asked to rank up to five on a scale with 5 points given to the top-scoring characteristic and 1 point to the bottom-scoring. The primary outcome was the mean score for each characteristic across the three types of infections weighted by the number of respondents in the sample, with higher scores indicating higher importance.
Key Results: Among the 130 physician participants, 106 (82%) completed the survey. Just under half (46%) were female; 89% of respondents were White, 3% Black, and 9% another race, while 15% reported Hispanic ethnicity. The highest-scored factors influencing antibiotic prescription preferences were the cure rate (treatment efficacy) (mean score: 2.87), severity of the infection (1.88), rare but major side effects (1.33), interactions with other drugs (1.33), previous experience and knowledge of the drug (1.19), and future risk of resistant infection to the patient (1.15). Out-of-pocket patient costs were prioritized lowest (mean score: 0.25).
Conclusions: In considering which antibiotic to prescribe, physicians prioritize clinical outcomes related to drug efficacy and safety over public health- or economics-focused factors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09195-7 | DOI Listing |
Am J Emerg Med
January 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Background: This study aimed to examine how physician performance metrics are affected by the speed of other attendings (co-attendings) concurrently staffing the ED.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using patient data from two EDs between January-2018 and February-2020. Machine learning was used to predict patient length of stay (LOS) conditional on being assigned a physician of average speed, using patient- and departmental-level variables.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.
Among the most pressing problems societies face today are economic inequality and the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. In fact the two problems-inequality and democratic erosion-are linked. In a large cross-national statistical study of risk factors for democratic erosion, we establish that economic inequality is one of the strongest predictors of where and when democracy erodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Institute of Medical Microbiology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University Hospital, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Postnatal establishment of enteric metabolic, host-microbial and immune homeostasis is the result of precisely timed and tightly regulated developmental and adaptive processes. Here, we show that infection with the invasive enteropathogen Typhimurium results in accelerated maturation of the neonatal epithelium with premature appearance of antimicrobial, metabolic, developmental, and regenerative features of the adult tissue. Using conditional Myd88-deficient mice, we identify the critical contribution of immune cell-derived mediators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Medical Neuroscience, SUSTech Center for Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of K/Cl cotransporter 2 (KCC2) in the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) has been demonstrated to serve as a common mechanism by which the brain emerges from anesthesia and regains consciousness. Ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of KCC2 during anesthesia is driven by E3 ligase Fbxl4. However, the mechanism by which ubiquitinated KCC2 is targeted to the proteasome has not been elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Environ Med
January 2025
Department of Occupational Medicine, University Research Clinic, Goedstrup Hospital, DK-7400 Herning, Denmark.
Objective: Mental health problems are increasing worldwide, and research has shown that it can be affected by work-life conflict (WLC). The aim of the present study is to examine the association between WLC and both stress and depressive symptoms in early adulthood.
Methods: A cross-sectional and a 4-year follow-up study was conducted using register data and questionnaire data from The West Jutland Cohort Study (VestLiv), Denmark.
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