AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► Time of day and the decision to prescribe antibiotics.

AHRQ Patient Safety Network

PCPs are more likely to prescribe inappropriate antibiotics toward the end of a clinic session, probably due to decision fatigue.JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Oct 6; [Epub ahead of print].

Time of day and the decision to prescribe antibiotics.

Linder JA, Doctor JN, Friedberg MW, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Oct 6; [Epub ahead of print].

Unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics for viral conditions can pose patient safety risks. This study found that primary care physicians are more likely to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately toward the end of their clinic session (late morning or late afternoon), which likely represents clinicians' decision fatigue.

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