Who says what to whom through what channel? Formative communication research on antibiotic resistance messaging for urgent care patients

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To explore the source, message, channel, and receiver effects on patient concern for antibiotic resistance, willingness to reduce antibiotic use, and expectations for an antibiotic prescription in a prepandemic sample. Methods: We used data reported from a national cross-sectional survey of adults who had visited an urgent care center within the last year. Data were collected from April 4 to April 9, 2017. The survey included an embedded experimental design to test changing effects before versus after message exposure. Participants: A national sample of adult participants (n = 610) who had used urgent care at least once in the past year were recruited through GfK’s KnowledgePanelTM. KnowledgePanel survey response rates are typically about 65%. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 85 and were more likely to be female (377/610; 62%), White (408/610; 67%), and covered by private insurance (414/610; 68%). Results: Outcome variables were measured on 4-point scales 1–4 scale, and t-tests were conducted for measures that were collected pre and postmessaging. The majority of participants trusted their doctor and desired them as the source for information regarding antibiotic resistance, followed by field experts (eg, CDC). Direct messaging (eg, email) and targeted advertisements were least preferred. Conclusions: This study provides foundational data on patient communication preferences in terms of source, message content, and channel when receiving information on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, as well as how these factors affect patient concern, willingness, and expectations. Follow-up work is needed to replicate these findings in a postpandemic sample.