Parents’ perceptions of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance PAUSE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parents’ perceptions of Antibiotic USE and antibiotic resistance (PAUSE):\na qualitative interview study
IRAS ID
194485
Contact name
Oliver van Hecke
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Aim and research methods\n\nOur aim is to explore parents’ beliefs and understanding about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance when their young child has a acute respiratory tract infection (e.g. chest, ear or throat infection) in the community. \n\n\nBackground\n\nAntibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria and are most commonly used in the community to treat respiratory tract infections. Deciding who will benefit from antibiotics is not always easy. Since many childhood infections are caused by viruses and would have got better without antibiotics, preschool children are at risk of receiving unnecessary antibiotics. Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can cause bacteria to change so that they can no longer be killed by antibiotics which were once effective. These bacteria become “antibiotic resistant”. Resistant infections are more difficult to treat, making people more unwell for longer.\n\nPatient and public involvement\n\nThe public and patient representatives will be invited to contribute in several ways including: helping us design the study to ensure our research covers issues important to parents and their families; developing ways of telling people about the research; and advising on how best to share our findings and dissemination.\n\nDissemination\n\nWe will share our findings with:\n(1) Parents and the public, using a range of media including online parent groups, patient leaflets about parents’ experiences and views of caring for their young child.\n(2) Public Health England and the Royal College of General Practitioners - to inform public interventions and educational resources and present our findings at conferences and in widely-read scientific journals.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0779
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion