Providers’ shared decision-making as a predictor of healthcare outcomes for college-aged adults managing upper respiratory tract infections

Strategies that assist patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) to endorse non-antibiotic treatments are vital to curbing antibiotic resistance. This study examines the potential of shared decision-making (SDM) for improving stewardship-relevant outcomes and investigates patient affect as a mechanism that explains the beneficial impact of perceived SDM. Patients (N = 433) seeking care for URTIs at a university student health center and not prescribed antibiotics completed a pre-visit questionnaire and two surveys one day and 14 days post-visit. The day-one survey assessed perceived SDM, affect, and immediate stewardship-relevant outcomes, and the day-14 survey assessed long-term stewardship-relevant outcomes. Perceived SDM was negatively associated with negative affect and positively associated with positive affect, favorable perceptions of non-antibiotic treatments and providers, and self-efficacy to manage symptoms and obtain follow-up care. Patient affect and day-one outcomes were mediators between perceived SDM and retrospective self-efficacy two weeks post-visit. The study illustrated the beneficial influence of patient perceived SDM on antibiotic stewardship in both short and long terms and elucidated the mechanisms through which the influence occurs. SDM can be an effective strategy for primary care providers to improve patients’ outcomes with URTI visits without prescribing unwarranted antibiotics. •Shared decision-making improves outcomes relevant to antibiotic stewardship.•Patient affect partly explains the beneficial impact of shared decision-making.•Providers can use shared decision-making to improve patient outcomes in URTI visits.