eHealthResp

Antibiotic resistance is one of the major public health problems world-wide. Inappropriate use of antibiotics is currently regarded as the main determinant of such resistance. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of e-Health tools to support clinical decision and patient empowerment in upper respiratory infections management. We will carry out a cluster randomized controlled trial covering all general practitioners and community pharmacists in Centre Region of Portugal, to prevent cross-contamination between groups, allocation will be performed on the basis of clusters rather than individuals. The centre region it will be divided into eight spatial clusters, accordingly with our previous studies (PTDC/SAU-ESA/105530/2008). It will be designed a reinforcement intervention that will consist of group outreach visits, an online course, a clinical decision support system for the physicians and pharmacists and also an e-Health tools for patients.