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Upper Respiratory Tract InfectionsNCT05557214

Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions in Primary Healthcare in Saskatchewan by Identifying High Prescribers

A study testing Audit and Feedback Letter in people with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections, run by Saskatchewan Health Authority - Regina Area.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
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Trial summary

Approximately 90% of antibiotics are prescribed in primary healthcare (PHC) in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020), making this an important sector for antimicrobial stewardship. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
What is being tested?
Audit and Feedback Letter
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
May 2023to May 2024
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • must be a practicing family physician in Saskatchewan
  • top 25th percentile of antimicrobial prescribers

Who cannot join

  • fewer than 12 months of historical prescribing data available

About this study

Approximately 90% of antibiotics are prescribed in primary healthcare (PHC) in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020), making this an important sector for antimicrobial stewardship. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) represent a common indication in PHC for which antibiotics are often prescribed unnecessarily (Leis et al, 2020; Schwartz et al., 2020). Reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatment in this sector is a vital part of contributing to minimizing the global burden of antibiotic resistance.

The goal of this research project is to reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions among family physicians identified as high prescribers in Saskatchewan. To achieve this, the investigators will send letters to the top 25th percentile of high prescribers in PHC. The letters will contain data indicating the prescribers high antimicrobial usage as well as guidance for reducing unnecessary prescriptions and promoting appropriate lengths of prescriptions for upper respiratory tract infections.

Being tested
Audit and Feedback Letter
Keywords
audit and feedback, antimicrobials, primary healthcare
Medical subject headings
Respiratory Tract Infections

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Audit and Feedback LetterBehavioural

    Physicians in the Audit and Feedback Letter Arm will receive an initial letter indicating their high prescriber status with guidance on reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use. They will also receive a follow-up letter at the 6 month mark indicating any change in prescribing habits. There will be a study closure letter mailed at the 12 month mark.

Study groups in NCT05557214
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Audit and Feedback LetterExperimentalThis group will receive 2 audit and feedback letters and a study closure letter.
Receives: Behavioral: Audit and Feedback Letter
No Audit and Feedback LetterNo interventionThis group will only receive a study closure letter.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Total Antibiotic Prescriptions

    Total number of antibiotic prescriptions compared to covariate-adjusted baseline number of prescriptions prior to the intervention.

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Total Prolonged-Duration Prescription

    Number of prescriptions longer than 7 days.

    Measured: 12 months

  2. Total Days of Therapy

    Number of days of therapy of antimicrobials for each provider.

    Measured: 12 months

  3. Antibiotic Cost

    Total cost of prescribed antibiotics.

    Measured: 12 months

  4. Total Specific Antibiotic Prescriptions

    Number of prescriptions for specific antibiotics.

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted27 Sep 2022
  2. Study startMay 2023 (estimated)
  3. Primary completionMay 2024 (estimated)
  4. Study completionMay 2024 (estimated)

Why it stopped: Unable to execute data sharing agreement with Ministry of Health.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05557214
Sponsor's protocol ID
REB-22-38
Status last verified
Apr 2023
First submitted
22 Sep 2022
Last updated
13 Apr 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Deidentified aggregate data will be shared via a published manuscript at the conclusion of the study.

Publications

  • Leis JA, Born KB, Ostrow O, Moser A, Grill A. Prescriber-led practice changes that can bolster antimicrobial stewardship in community health care settings. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2020 Jan 2;46(1):1-5. doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v46i01a01. eCollection 2020 Jan 2.

    PubMed 31930218
  • Schwartz KL, Langford BJ, Daneman N, Chen B, Brown KA, McIsaac W, Tu K, Candido E, Johnstone J, Leung V, Hwee J, Silverman M, Wu JHC, Garber G. Unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in a Canadian primary care setting: a descriptive analysis using routinely collected electronic medical record data. CMAJ Open. 2020 May 7;8(2):E360-E369. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20190175. Print 2020 Apr-Jun.

    PubMed 32381687

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Audit and Feedback Letter in people with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections, run by Saskatchewan Health Authority - Regina Area.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Apr 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Total Antibiotic Prescriptions (time frame: 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05557214, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Apr 2023.

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