Influence of Educational Films on Antiviral Prescription for COVID-19: Insights from Web-Based Survey in Japan
<b>Background:</b> Prescribing antiviral agents for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 requires careful consideration based on the patient's risk factors for severe disease progression and their vaccination status. However, effective interventions ensuring the appropriate use of antiviral agents by physicians have yet to be fully established. Thus, this study evaluated the impact of an educational film on antiviral prescription rates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). <b>Methods:</b> This prospective, nationwide, web-based survey enrolled 1500 physicians. They were instructed to view a short educational film and assess the necessity of prescribing antiviral agents in 16 fictitious scenarios featuring adult patients with COVID-19 with varying risk factors for severe disease and vaccination statuses. We compared the antiviral prescription rates before and after viewing the educational film. <b>Results:</b> There was a significant increase in the antiviral prescription rates after viewing the educational film, particularly nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescribed in cases involving immunocompromised patients (from 31.3% to 49.4%) and those with obesity (from 15.1% to 33.7%) who were unvaccinated and had no risk of drug interactions. However, viewing the educational film made little to no impact on the prescription rates for the patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia or those with no underlying conditions. <b>Conclusions:</b> Short educational films may promote the appropriate use of antiviral agents for COVID-19. However, their impact on altering prescription behavior appears limited and varies according to the clinical context.
Authors
- Kazuko Yamamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1357-1676)
- Shimpei Gotoh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8563-8200)
- Takehiro Izumo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9052-0063)
- Yoko Shibata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1794-0026)
- Takahiro Takazono (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0696-5386)
- Shinyu Izumi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6384-5022)
- Keisuke Tomii (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3524-6217)
- Yuichiro Shindo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0207-9483)
- Kazufumi Takamatsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0453-1242)
- Hiroshi Kakeya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6251-1696)
- Kazuhiro Yatera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2955-4432)
- Toyohiro Hirai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7431-9044)
- Eiki Ichihara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2966-106X)
- Naoki Nishimura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4727-9048)
- Akihito Yokoyama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1451-1210)
- Seiichiro Sakao
- Hiroshi Mukae (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1429-5706)
- Akihiko Hagiwara
- Kosaku Komiya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8679-1661)
- Takashi Ogura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7445-270X)
- Yukako Takechi
- Hironori Sagara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2376-1606)
- Yuka Sasaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6293-3987)
Institutions
- SHOWA Medical University (JP)
- Fukushima Medical University (JP)
- University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan (JP)
- Oita University (JP)
- Kyoto University (JP)
- University of the Ryukyus (JP)
- San-ikukai Hospital (JP)
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine (JP)
- Okayama University Hospital (JP)
- Japanese Red Cross Medical Center (JP)
- Kanagawa Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center (JP)
- Tokyo National Hospital (JP)
- Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital (JP)
- Nagasaki University (JP)
- Nagoya University (JP)
- Kōchi University (JP)
- International University of Health and Welfare (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Antibiotics
- Published
- 2025-03-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14030276
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.40