qualitative methods

Real world observations to prevent SSIs

Guest Blogger Surgical Site Infection ,

This week we welcome Dr Jude Robinson as a guest blogger to Reflections to discuss a paper on surgical site infection prevention.

I feel very honored to have been asked to be a guest speaker on the esteemed IPC partners journal club. I love critiquing papers, and I honestly don’t give myself enough time to do this on a regular basis, probably the same position as many of us with our busy clinical roles. I have really enjoyed preparing for this, so I hope you are able to join Register. I have used a recognised critical appraisal framework to support me with this journal review Qualitative Studies Checklist.

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Using qualitative methods to understand determinants of antibiotic prescribing

Jon Otter (@jonotter) antibiotic stewardship , ,

A couple of new studies provide insight into determinants of antibiotic prescribing using qualitative methodology. A systematic review in the Journal of Hospital Infection highlights the tension between the immediate need of the sick patient (“give ‘em broad spectrum antibiotics and keep ‘em on them for as long as I can get away with” [my caricature]) and the societal needs related to AMR (“we need to balance the individual needs of the patient with the bigger picture of AMR” [again, my caricature]). Also, a clever study by Esmita Charani and colleagues from Imperial College London provides new insight into antibiotic prescribing practice by “going native” and joining ward rounds – effectively becoming a fly on the wall to understand poor antibiotic prescribing practice. The study identified a contrast between antibiotic prescribing in Medicine, where decisions were generally multidisciplinary and policy-informed, and Surgery, where decisions were often ‘defensive’, resulting in prolonged and inappropriate antibiotic use.

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