Sirota, Miroslav and Juanchich, Marie (2024) Seeing an apocalyptic post-antibiotic future lowers antibiotics expectations and requests. Communications Medicine, 4 (1). 141-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-024-00567-y
Sirota, Miroslav and Juanchich, Marie (2024) Seeing an apocalyptic post-antibiotic future lowers antibiotics expectations and requests. Communications Medicine, 4 (1). 141-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-024-00567-y
Sirota, Miroslav and Juanchich, Marie (2024) Seeing an apocalyptic post-antibiotic future lowers antibiotics expectations and requests. Communications Medicine, 4 (1). 141-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-024-00567-y
Abstract
Background Antibiotic resistance is an ongoing pandemic which represents a global public health threat. To encourage the judicious use of antibiotics, public health discourse and campaigns often engage in threat-based messaging depicting an apocalyptic post-antibiotic future. We studied the effectiveness of the strategy because of mixed evidence for its success, and because it is unclear how experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic might have influenced it. Methods We conducted a randomised controlled trial with 378 participants in three waves (before and during the pandemic in 2021 and 2022). Participants were randomly allocated to either the baseline arm, featuring a control film, or the intervention arm featuring a short film, Catch, depicting a post-antibiotic future. Participants expressed expectations and intended requests for antibiotics for a hypothetical ear infection and their adherence to a prescribed antibiotic for a hypothetical kidney infection. In waves 2 and 3, they also reported any COVID-19-related changes to their antibiotic desires. Results Showing participants a film about a post-antibiotic future substantially lowers clinically inappropriate expectations for antibiotics and their intended requests. Participants report that the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic decreased their desire for antibiotics but only when they watched the intervention film. The intervention slightly decreases participants’ adherence intentions towards a prescribed antibiotic treatment. Conclusions Presenting a film about an apocalyptic post-antibiotic future lowers expectations and intended requests for antibiotics and therefore has the potential to encourage judicious use of them. However, the adverse effects of such messaging on adherence to a course of antibiotics should be proactively managed.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Decision; Public health |
Subjects: | Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZZ OA Fund (articles) |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Psychology, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 18 Jul 2024 09:50 |
Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2024 23:21 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/38802 |
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Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0