TY - JOUR
T1 - Expectations for antibiotics increase their prescribing
T2 - Causal evidence about localized impact
AU - Sirota, Miroslav
AU - Round, Thomas
AU - Samaranayaka, Shyamalee
AU - Kostopoulou, Olga
PY - 2017/4/1
Y1 - 2017/4/1
N2 - Objective: Clinically irrelevant but psychologically important factors such as patients' expectations for antibiotics encourage overprescribing. We aimed to (a) provide missing causal evidence of this effect, (b) identify whether the expectations distort the perceived probability of a bacterial infection either in a preor postdecisional distortions pathway, and (c) detect possible moderators of this effect. Method: Family physicians expressed their willingness to prescribe antibiotics (Experiment 1, n1 = 305) or their decision to prescribe (Experiment 2, n2 = 131) and assessed the probability of a bacterial infection in hypothetical patients with infections either with low or high expectations for antibiotics. Response order of prescribing/ probability was manipulated in Experiment 1. Results: Overall, the expectations for antibiotics increased intention to prescribe (Experiment 1, F(1, 301) = 25.32, p < .001, ηp 2 = .08, regardless of the response order; Experiment 2, odds ratio [OR] = 2.31, and OR = 0.75, Vignettes 1 and 2, respectively). Expectations for antibiotics did not change the perceived probability of a bacterial infection (Experiment 1, F(1, 301) = 1.86, p = .173, ηp 2 = .01, regardless of the response order; Experiment 2, d=-0.03, and d = +0.25, Vignettes 1 and 2, respectively). Physicians' experience was positively associated with prescribing, but it did not moderate the expectations effect on prescribing. Conclusions: Patients' and their parents' expectations increase antibiotics prescribing, but their effect is localized-it does not leak into the perceived probability of a bacterial infection. Interventions reducing the overprescribing of antibiotics should target also psychological factors.
AB - Objective: Clinically irrelevant but psychologically important factors such as patients' expectations for antibiotics encourage overprescribing. We aimed to (a) provide missing causal evidence of this effect, (b) identify whether the expectations distort the perceived probability of a bacterial infection either in a preor postdecisional distortions pathway, and (c) detect possible moderators of this effect. Method: Family physicians expressed their willingness to prescribe antibiotics (Experiment 1, n1 = 305) or their decision to prescribe (Experiment 2, n2 = 131) and assessed the probability of a bacterial infection in hypothetical patients with infections either with low or high expectations for antibiotics. Response order of prescribing/ probability was manipulated in Experiment 1. Results: Overall, the expectations for antibiotics increased intention to prescribe (Experiment 1, F(1, 301) = 25.32, p < .001, ηp 2 = .08, regardless of the response order; Experiment 2, odds ratio [OR] = 2.31, and OR = 0.75, Vignettes 1 and 2, respectively). Expectations for antibiotics did not change the perceived probability of a bacterial infection (Experiment 1, F(1, 301) = 1.86, p = .173, ηp 2 = .01, regardless of the response order; Experiment 2, d=-0.03, and d = +0.25, Vignettes 1 and 2, respectively). Physicians' experience was positively associated with prescribing, but it did not moderate the expectations effect on prescribing. Conclusions: Patients' and their parents' expectations increase antibiotics prescribing, but their effect is localized-it does not leak into the perceived probability of a bacterial infection. Interventions reducing the overprescribing of antibiotics should target also psychological factors.
KW - Antibiotics prescribing
KW - Clinical decision-making
KW - Nonclinical factors
KW - Probability distortion
KW - Subjective probability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85013113357&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/hea0000456
DO - 10.1037/hea0000456
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85013113357
SN - 0278-6133
VL - 36
SP - 402
EP - 409
JO - Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
JF - Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
IS - 4
ER -