ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2023
Decisions regarding antibiotic prescribing for acute sinusitis in Norwegian general practice. A qualitative focus group study.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing physicians' antimicrobial prescribing decisions: A systematic review of qualitative studies.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The decision-making process in general practice of when to use antibiotics to treat acute rhinosinusitis.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Incidence of Cefotaxime-Resistant Haemophilus influenzae Is Linked to Regional Consumption of Oral Aminopenicillins and Parenteral Third-Generation Cephalosporins in Norway.APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Barriers and enablers to using evidence-based antibiotic prescription guidelines in primary care: a qualitative systematic review and synthesis using the theoretical domains framework.Implementation science communications · 2026Review
- Patients' perspectives regarding antibiotic treatment for acute sinusitis in Norwegian general practice. A qualitative interview study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Antibiotic Prescribing Decisions for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections Among Primary Healthcare Physicians in China: A Mixed-Methods Approach Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Factors influencing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care - a comparison of physicians with different antibiotic prescribing rates.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- Why Do Physicians Prescribe Antibiotics? A Systematic Review of the Psycho-Socio-Organisational Factors Related to Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing of Antimicrobials in Europe.Infectious disease reports · 2024Review
- On sustainability and low value care.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAcute sinusitis is a frequent reason for primary care visits. Most patients recover within two weeks without antibiotic treatment. Despite this, about 50% of patients with acute sinusitis in Norwegian general practice are still prescribed antibiotics. We do not know the reason behind this discrepancy.
aimTo explore the clinical decision-making process and reasons for treatment with antibiotics for acute sinusitis among Norwegian general practitioners (GPs).
methodsFive focus group interviews were conducted (
resultsThe results showed a very diverse management of acute sinusitis among GPs, with decisions regarding antibiotics not always aligning with guideline recommendations. Many of the GPs did not agree with the Norwegian guidelines for antibiotics and chose something other than phenoxymethylpenicillin as their first choice. Clinical predictors emphasized in decision-making were pain complaints and patient exhaustion. Pragmatic factors such as weekday, travel plans, or a full waiting room could also influence the decision.
conclusionGPs found it difficult to identify when patients would benefit from antibiotic treatment for acute sinusitis, and different strategies were used to make prescribing decisions. For several GPs the degree of pain was one of the decisive reasons for antibiotic prescribing, however the guidelines for antibiotics do not give sufficient advice regarding pain treatment. These results suggest a need for revaluation of guideline contents and the way they are communicated to GPs.
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