Highlights
- •Residents of nursing homes (NH) described unmet antibiotic informational needs.
- •A subset of residents described seeking antibiotics from prescribers in the NH.
- •Residents may influence antibiotic treatment decisions in the NH setting.
- •Residents should be engaged in efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing in NHs.
ABSTRACT
Background
Antibiotics are commonly used in the nursing home (NH) setting. Little is known of
NH residents’ perceptions and experiences regarding antibiotic use.
Methods
This was a qualitative descriptive study. We conducted individual, semi-structured
interviews with NH residents. Interview transcripts were analyzed using conventional
content analysis.
Results
Twenty-six residents were interviewed. Four themes emerged: 1) perceived benefits
and risks to antibiotics; 2) information needs regarding antibiotic treatment; 3)
approaches to address information needs; and 4) resident involvement in antibiotic
treatment decisions. The perceived benefits of antibiotics were described as symptom-relief
and cure; risks included gastrointestinal symptoms and antibiotic resistance. Informational
needs included the indication for antibiotics, risks and side-effects of antibiotics,
and potential interactions between antibiotic treatments and medication regimens.
Residents performed information seeking behaviors to address informational needs but
described difficulty obtaining and recalling desired information. Diverse involvement
in antibiotic treatment decisions were described, in which a subset of participants
reported seeking antibiotics from their prescriber.
Conclusions
Future efforts aiming to improve collaborative decision making and antibiotic use
in the NH setting should address the unmet information needs of nursing home residents
regarding their antibiotic treatment plans.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Disclosures: Study findings were presented at IDWeek 2020 (virtual conference) and appear as an abstract in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
Funding: This study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (PIs: Stone, Shang; 5P20NR018072).
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.
