Physicians’ antibiotic prescription behaviors in patients with sore throat: a comparison of family physicians and ENT doctors

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the antibiotic prescription behaviors of the physicians and their perceptions of antibiotic expectations of the patients presenting to ear-nose-throat specialists, and family physicians with the primary complaint of sore throat and related factors. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted at Adnan Menderes University Hospital, Outpatient Clinics of Otorhinolaryngology, together with family physicians practicing in affiliation with Family Medicine Outpatient Clinics, between February 2014 and February 2015. The study population consisted of 384 patients with the main complaint of sore throat and 26 physicians. Patient and physician questionnaires were applied to the participants. For statistical evaluation, t-test, Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used. Results: Ten percent of the patients with sore throat had an expectation of antibiotic. The physicians perceived an expectation for antibiotics in 48.4% of the patients and 53.4% of them prescribed antibiotics to their patients. The patients’ expectations for antibiotics were not effective on physicians’ perceptions of patients’ antibiotic expectations or their antibiotic prescription behavior. The less experienced physicians (10.6 fold), family physicians (7.0 fold) and physicians who perceived expectation of their patients for antibiotics (5.8 fold) prescribed more antibiotics; patients living in urban areas were prescribed more antibiotics (3.2 fold). Conclusion: Antibiotic expectation of the patients with a sore throat is very low. Being a family physician, physician’s perception of patient’s antibiotic expectation, lack of professional experience, and living in urban area are the factors effective on physician’s antibiotic prescribing behavior.