A study published recently in The Lancet finds that Internet clinician training can reduce antibiotic prescribing for respiratory-tract infections, across language and cultural boundaries. The study, lead by the University of Southampton, U.K., involved doctors in six European countries were trained in administering C-reactive protein testing (CRP) and communication skills, and found that doctors with such training prescribed less antibiotics than those who were not trained.
"Training has been shown to have a positive effect on lowering prescription rates but the way training has been delivered and its reliance on highly trained staff around centers of excellence severely limits the impact in everyday practice," study co-author Paul Little, of the University of Southampton, said in an announcement. "Novel techniques, therefore, needed to lead changes at a national and international level. Internet training has the advantage that it can be disseminated widely at a low cost and does not need much resource." Announcement