What does the public understand about antibiotic resistance?

GPs are trusted to decide whether an antibiotic should be prescribed, and they have been expected to provide information to patients about the need (or not) for antibiotics, and about self-care and the issue of antimicrobial resistance. However a survey indicates that people are still not receiving enough information about antibiotics when they attend primary care.

PHE have carried out two surveys to find out what the public understand by antibiotic resistance. The latest (1) shows that:

misunderstandings about antibiotics persist in the minds of a substantial minority of the general public
fewer patients accessing primary care with respiratory or flu symptoms expected to be prescribed antibiotics
most people trust GPs’ advice
adults under 24 or over 65 years old and black, Asian and minority ethnic adults are less knowledgeable about antibiotics.

(1) What the public know about antibiotic use and resistance, and how we may influence it. Findings from a 2017 national survey, PHE 10 November 2020

The TARGET Antibiotics Toolkit includes a collection of leaflets to share with patients and resources for waiting areas.