Perceptions of resident physicians towards antibiotic prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affected physicians’ practices of prescribing antibiotics for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs). Aim: This study aims to explore the perceptions of resident physicians in a teaching hospital towards antibiotic prescribing for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a qualitative study based on conducting in-depth face-to-face interviews with resident physicians. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim in Arabic, translated to English, anonymised, and analysed thematically. Results: Data analysis produced five broad themes: determinants of prescribing antibiotics for URTIs before and after the pandemic, uncertainty in differentiating between COVID-19 cases and other URTIs, the shift in antibiotic prescribing for URTIs following the pandemic, the place of azithromycin in the treatment of COVID-19, and patients’ expectations of antibiotic prescribing. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic added to the complexity of controlling the use of antibiotics in a country that is already striving against inappropriate antibiotics utilization.