In the Government's Action Plan against Antibiotic Resistance from 2016, the Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care was given, among other things, the main responsibility for organizing a quality improvement project in general practice. This initiative aimed to contribute to the national goal of reducing antibiotic use in the population by 30 percent by the end of 2020. In response to this, the Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care (ASP) developed the quality improvement course "Riktigere antibiotikabruk i kommunene" (RAK), in collaboration with the Center for Quality in General Practice (SKIL).
The RAK course consists of three group meetings lasting three school hours, along with a preceding two-hour e-learning course, totaling 15 school hours. Participants gain the following:
- Updated clinical knowledge in the field
- Better overview of their own antibiotic prescribing
- Introduction to quality work to enhance the quality of their own practice
A significant part of the group work was related to a report on each individual's antibiotic prescribing for a specified 12-month period, based on data from the Prescription Registry. Additionally, a follow-up report showed changes in antibiotic prescribing in the six months after the course started.
The RAK project began in Buskerud in November 2016, and by the end of 2020, all general practitioners in the country had been offered the opportunity to participate. Approximately 40-50% of general practitioners enrolled in the course.
As of 2024, the Antibiotic Centre is working to establish RAK as a permanent quality improvement system for general practitioners, allowing everyone to take the clinical topic course and annual follow-up courses at their convenience. This includes the ability for doctors to retrieve prescription reports themselves.
If you want to learn more, you can read about RAK on the external website of the Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care.