In Brief: Kaiser Uses Computer Prompts To Cut Antibiotic Prescriptions

Kaiser Permanente has reduced the likelihood of antibiotic prescriptions for enrollees with sinusitis by 22% through the use of computer alerts for a period of time.

            Kaiser said earlier this month that it used computerized alerts to inform their physician network that prescribing an antibiotic may not be the best course of treatment. Antibiotics are generally useless against viral infections, and can cause nausea and other symptoms in patients. Overprescribing antibiotics can also lead to bacterial resistance against such medications in the future.

            Kaiser researchers studied the use of computer alerts as part of nearly 22,000 interactions with patients complaining of sinusitis between September 2014 and April 2015. However, the research indicated that while the overall likelihood of prescribing antibiotics was reduced significantly, the overall number of prescriptions dispensed dropped by only 2%.

            “We know that a tincture of time, not antibiotics, is generally the best treatment for infections more commonly caused by viruses rather than bacteria. However, health systems are discovering that stopping a common behavior, like prescribing antibiotics, can be even more difficult than spreading the use of a new test or treatment,” said Adam Sharp, M.D., an emergency department physician at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center who also performs research for a different branch of the organization.  “Our research builds on research conducted at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and studies being conducted around the country to better understand how to limit routine use of unwarranted antibiotics.”

            The research was published in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.