CAN AN EDUCATIONAL-PROGRAM IMPROVE THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF PHARYNGOTONSILLITIS IN THE AMBULATORY CARE SETTING

The influence of an educational program on the diagnosis and treatment of pharyngotonsillitis was evaluated in three outpatient clinics in n orthern Israel during two periods, During both periods - 1 January to 31 March 1988 (baseline phase) and 1 January to 31 March 1989 (study p hase) - clinical data of ah patients for whom antibiotics were prescri bed were recorded on special forms, which included the patient's diagn osis and the antibiotic prescribed. In November 1988, 2 months before the study phase, two 1 h sessions on pharyngitis were given by the stu dy physicians to the entire medical staff of two clinics (Clinics B an d C), and written material was distribute and A third clinic (Clinic A ) served as the control. A comparison of the prescribing habits during the two phases showed that during the study phase the total number of antibiotics prescriptions for pharyngitis declined significantly in C linics B and C, while the percentage of prescriptions for penicillin V rose with the concomitant decline of amoxycillin. There were no signi ficant changes in prescribing habits in the control clinic. These resu lts show that a modest 2 h educational program involving direct contac t with the entire medical staff of the community outpatient clinics ca n improve the diagnosis of pharyngotonsillitis and reduce both the ina ppropriate use of antibiotics in general, and the substitution of more expensive antibiotics for cheaper, equally effective ones.