International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care
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Int J Qual Health Care · Dec 2010
Self-reported familiarity with acute respiratory infection guidelines and antibiotic prescribing in primary care.
Familiarity with guidelines is generally thought to be associated with guideline implementation, adherence and improved quality of care. We sought to determine if self-reported familiarity with acute respiratory infection (ARI) antibiotic treatment guidelines was associated with reduced or more appropriate antibiotic prescribing for ARIs in primary care. ⋯ Self-reported familiarity with an ARI antibiotic treatment guideline was, seemingly paradoxically, associated with increased antibiotic prescribing. Self-reported familiarity with guidelines should not be assumed to be associated with consistent guideline adherence or higher quality of care.