RecruitingObservational

Exploring antibiotic prescribing in acute respiratory infection

This study is exploring why healthcare professionals in hospitals decide whether or not to give antibiotics to adult patients with breathing infections. Many of these infections are caused by viruses, which antibiotics can't treat. When antibiotics are used unnecessarily, they can harm patients and make antibiotics less effective in the future – a problem called antibiotic resistance. Researchers want to understand what influences these prescribing decisions and what features would be most helpful in new tests that can tell if an infection is caused by a virus or bacteria. This knowledge will help develop better studies and strategies to tackle antibiotic resistance, which is a major health concern.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Sponsor

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

Enrolment target

200

Start

02 Jul 2025

Estimated completion

01 Jul 2026

Acute respiratory infection, antibiotic prescribing

What is this study about?

When people get breathing infections, like a cold, flu, or chest infection, they often visit the hospital. Sometimes these infections are caused by bacteria, but very often, they're caused by viruses. Antibiotics only work against bacteria, so they're not helpful for viral infections. Giving antibiotics when they're not needed can actually cause problems, like side effects for the patient and making antibiotics less effective over time. This latter problem, known as 'antibiotic resistance', is a big worry for doctors and health organisations like the NHS.

This study wants to talk to doctors and nurses in hospitals to understand why they decide to give antibiotics for breathing infections, or why they choose not to. They also want to know what features these healthcare professionals would find most useful in a new test that could quickly tell if an infection is bacterial or viral. This is important because knowing the cause of an infection (bacteria or virus) would help them make better decisions about whether or not to prescribe antibiotics.

By gathering this information, the researchers hope to learn how to improve the use of antibiotics and help develop better ways to tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections in the future. This could lead to better care for patients and help protect the usefulness of antibiotics for everyone.

Key takeaways

The study aims to understand why doctors and nurses give antibiotics for breathing infections.
Antibiotics don't work for viral infections, but are often prescribed.
Unnecessary antibiotic use leads to 'antibiotic resistance', a serious global health problem.
Researchers want to know what features would help in new tests to tell viral from bacterial infections.
Contribution to this study helps improve future trials and combat antibiotic resistance.

Who may be eligible?

This study is for healthcare workers in hospitals in the UK who work with adult patients (aged 18 or over).

If you are a doctor, prescribing nurse, or advanced care practitioner, and you regularly see adult patients with breathing infections, you might be able to take part. This includes those working in emergency departments, acute medicine, respiratory medicine (lung care), care for older people, infectious diseases, or general hospital medicine.

Basically, if you're a qualified prescriber in an NHS hospital and you often treat adult patients with breathing problems, you could be eligible.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you a doctor, prescribing nurse, or advanced care practitioner?
Do you work in an NHS hospital?
Do you regularly see adult patients (18 or older) with breathing infections?
Do you work in departments like Emergency, Acute Medicine, Respiratory, Elderly Care, Infectious Diseases, or General Medicine?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you are eligible and choose to take part, the first step involves joining a small group discussion, called a focus group. These groups will include doctors, prescribing nurses, and advanced care practitioners from different hospital departments and with varying levels of experience. In these discussions, you'll share your thoughts on what influences your decisions about prescribing antibiotics and what features you'd like to see in a new test that can tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections.

After these group discussions, the information gathered will be used to create a detailed questionnaire. This questionnaire will then be sent out to many doctors, prescribing nurses, and advanced care practitioners across the UK who see adults with suspected breathing infections. The aim of this survey is to get a broader understanding of their prescribing habits and what they consider important in new diagnostic tests. You would either participate in a focus group OR complete a questionnaire, not both.

Potential risks and benefits

Taking part in this study could have several benefits. The main one is that you would be contributing to new medical knowledge that could help design better future studies. This information is really important in the fight against antibiotic resistance, which affects everyone's health. While no study is completely without risk, this one is considered very low-risk. The main 'risk' is the time commitment required to participate in a focus group or complete the questionnaire, which might impact your working day. You are always free to choose not to participate or to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason, and this will not affect your care or your job.

Locations (3)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
City only
Southampton, United Kingdom
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
City only
Basingstoke, United Kingdom
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
City only
Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Common questions

What is antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become able to resist the effects of antibiotics. This means the antibiotics no longer work to treat the infections, making them much harder to cure.

Why don't antibiotics work for viruses?

Antibiotics are designed to kill or stop the growth of bacteria. Viruses are different types of germs, and antibiotics have no effect on them. Using antibiotics for viral infections is like trying to use a car repair kit to fix a bicycle.

Who is funding this study?

The study is funded by University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, right here in the UK.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?

You can get in touch with Dr. Alex Tanner at alex.tanner@uhs.nhs.uk if you have any questions about the study.

Will taking part affect my patient care or job?

No, taking part is voluntary and will not affect your employment or how you provide care to your patients.

How to find out more

Alex Tanner

at1g20@soton.ac.uk +44 (0)2381206325 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.