Do Fair Comparisons or Harms Data Increase Responsiveness to Feedback About Antibiotic Prescribing: 2x2 Factorial Trial

This study will examine ways to optimize the effects of A&F for antibiotic prescribing in primary care. This study will aim to answer the following questions:

• Do patients of family physicians receiving A&F about antibiotic prescribing receive fewer antibiotics compared to patients of family physicians that do not receive A&F?
• Does the effects of A&F vary with the following design features? i) case-mix adjusted (or simple) peer comparators to represent a target for the prescribing quality indicators ii) emphasis (or not) on antibiotic-associated harms in addition to messages that focus on lack of benefit

This trial will include family physicians who did not opt-in to receive MyPractice: Primary Care report from Ontario Health. Physicians will be randomized to the control group or intervention group. Physicians in the intervention group will receive a personalized antibiotic prescribing feedback letter that will include personalized data regarding total antibiotic prescribing per 1000 patient visits and proportion of antibiotic prescriptions provided for a duration of >7 days. The letter will also contain two experimental factors: 1: Simple vs complex peer comparators; and 2) Emphasis or not on antibiotic harms. For the complex (adjusted) comparator, recipients will be compared only to top-performing 'like-peers' - the group of physicians with similar complexity and numbers of patients. For the harms vs no harms factor, physicians will be either provided with information that focuses on lack of benefit for certain conditions (no harms), or with information that emphasizes the potential harms caused by unnecessary use of antibiotics. The feedback letters will be mailed to each physicians' primary practice address, along with a viral prescription pad developed by Choosing Wisely Canada.

One month after the initial intervention, intervention participants will be invited to complete a process evaluation survey to determine why or why not the intervention worked and how individual factors can affect physician motivation, willingness, and ability to engage in new practices. Intervention participants will also be invited to take part in a process evaluation interview.

Inclusion criteria

Family physicians with an active practice who prescribe antibiotics in Ontario to patients aged 65 or older.

Family physicians who did not sign up by September 2021 to receive the MyPractice report

Exclusion criteria

<100 unique patient visits in the most recent year or two of the three prior years for patients 65 years of age or older;

<10 antibiotic prescriptions to patients 65+ in the most recent year or two of the three prior years; or

previously opted out of antibiotic prescribing letters from PHO (n= 15)