Antibiotic prescribing for sore throat: a cross-sectional analysis of the ReCEnT study exploring the habits of early-career doctors in family practice

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute sore throat is a common condition presenting to family practitioners. It is usually self-limiting, with antibiotic treatment recommended only for high-risk presentations. Overprescribing of antibiotics contributes to individual and community resistance. Learning to prescribe in the context of diagnostic uncertainty and patient pressures is a challenge for early-career doctors. Prescribing habits develop early and tend not to change with time. OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence and associations of antibiotic prescribing for acute sore throat by Australian vocational trainees in family practice. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encoun..