Factors That Influence the Prescription of Antibiotic Therapy at the End-of-Life: Construction and Validation of a Scale

Introduction: End-of-life care is frequently discussed in clinical practice. Non-beneficial treatments and the need for decision-making regarding therapeutic institutions are increasingly addressed. There are no guidelines regarding prescribing or de-prescribing antibiotic therapy at the end of life, which depends on clinical decisions. In this study, we developed a scale to assess the factors influencing clinicians' decisions when prescribing antimicrobial agents. Methods: This is a quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive study. After the literature review, the scale was constructed with an analysis of internal consistency and temporal stability. It was applied online together with a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire. Statistical analysis of the scale, its construction, and final validation were performed. Results: A total of 196 physicians participated in this study (76.5% female, 78.6% aged <40 years), 60.2% specialists, and 35.7% without palliative care training. Almost all of the participants (89.9%) reported having end-of-life care concerns with a high frequency. In this study, a scale was developed to assess factors associated with the prescription of antibiotic therapy in end-of-life patients. This scale revealed the presence of 3 factors: infection, patient/illness, and symptoms. Together, the three factors explain 57.4% of the clinician's decisions. The factors associated with symptoms were the most predominant in decision-making compared to those associated with infection. Conclusions: Among the multiple factors that may influence the institution of antibiotic therapy at the end of life, symptomatic control is the most important factor.