Social Determinants Influence Physician’s Behavior in Prescribing Antibiotics: Factors and Consequences

Abstract

Background: Several social determinants other than scientific knowledge can influence the prescribing behavior of physicians. Objective: To conduct a literature review on available data to identify social determinants influence physician's behavior in prescribing antibiotics. Data Source: A literature search was performed using 'PubMed' to identify studies for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The following search terms were used: 'Social determinants' 'Irrational use' 'Inappropriate Use' 'Inappropriate Prescription' 'Factors' 'Consequences' and ' Antibiotics'. Results: Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria from 80 search results. A total of 6 socials determinants and 20 factors identified. The most frequent social determinants were patients, prescribers, the workplace, caregivers (parents and relatives), and industry and drug regulations. Conclusion: Our findings showed that several social determinants other than scientific knowledge could influence the prescribing decisions of physicians.