Antimicrobial prescribing in care homes: a qualitative study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Antimicrobial prescribing for older people in care homes: perspectives of researchers, healthcare professionals, and residents’ family members

• IRAS ID

  247116

• Contact name

  Carmel M. Hughes

• Sponsor organisation

  Queen's University Belfast

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 10 months, 16 days

• Research summary

  Recent research has suggested that older people in care homes are more likely to receive unnecessary antimicrobial medicines (including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals) than they should. There have been a number of studies developing new approaches (interventions) that help improve this issue. However, we have found that a lot of different outcomes have been reported in these studies. Consequently, we cannot compare or combine their results and we find it very difficult to know whether interventions actually work or are safe for older people in care homes. This problem of outcomes can be solved if all studies use the same outcomes which are combined to form a ‘Core Outcome Set’.
  Therefore, the aim of our study is to identify which outcomes are important and should be measured in studies that would aim to deal with antimicrobial prescribing in care homes. In this qualitative study, we plan to do individual interviews with researchers, healthcare professionals (including general practitioners, pharmacists, care home staff), and focus groups with family members of care home residents. We will explore their views of what outcomes should be measured in future research to improve antimicrobial prescribing in care homes.
  It is hoped that this study will help to identify the important outcomes that should be included in a Core Outcome Set. When a Core Outcome Set has been developed, it will be available for use in all studies for antimicrobial prescribing in care homes. In the long run, this will improve the quality of information about which interventions work and which don’t, and help people make better choices.

• REC name

  HSC REC B

• REC reference

  18/NI/0154

• Date of REC Opinion

  28 Sep 2018

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion