Behavioral Intervention
"Behavioral interventions, including nudges that support appropriate antibiotic use, are essential to improving prescribing practices and reducing antimicrobial resistance"
This category explores the strategies and sciences aimed at influencing human behavior to combat the rise of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). It covers interventions targeting both healthcare professionals e.g. to improve prescribing practices and the general public (to enhance awareness, improve hygiene, and manage patient expectations), e.g. by means of nudging tools and techniques.
Content typically includes the design and analysis of public health campaigns, studies in health psychology, patient education programs, and policy changes designed to "nudge" populations toward more responsible antibiotic use. This parent category focuses on the formal and evidence-based approaches to behavioral change. It is distinct from its subcategory, Cultural Corner, which is reserved for more informal, creative, and community-driven cultural activities related to this topic.
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View allMedical Societies Join Forces to Restore Trust in Vaccines
Abstract
This edition of Medicine Matters highlights a recent Perspective in JAMA, titled Respriatory Virus Vaccines: Restoring Confidence and Trust." I co-authored this with Andrea Garcia from the American Medical Association (AMA), Dr Michael Osterholm from the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) and the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), and Dr Rochelle Walensky, from VIP, CIDRAP, and Harvard Medical School and former CDC Director. To address that, we have now an exciting new collaboration between the AMA, the VIP at the University of Minnesota, and four medical specialty societies: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America. This shakeup led to a resolution at the AMA's House of Delegates meeting in June 2025, demanding action to restore ACIP to its former glory in the long term — but in the interim, to support only previous ACIP recommendations as of May 1, 2025, or vaccine recommendations from national medical specialty societies. And there's great news for those who choose to save time and get several shots at one visit: The VIP review of new evidence did not show any new safety concerns when giving flu shots at the same time as COVID and RSV vaccines."A decade without congenital syphilis: a Danish success story
Abstract
Across Europe, cases of congenital syphilis nearly doubled in just one year, from 78 in 2023 to 140 in 2024, in 14 countries reporting data. In contrast, Denmark has marked 10 years without a single case of vertical syphilis transmission from mother to child since 2016. The main reason for this achievement is that, since 2010, Denmark has offered universal syphilis screening to pregnant women free of charge as part of a comprehensive prenatal care program. General practitioners implement the screening, which usually takes place during the first prenatal visit.How Clinicians Can Improve STI Conversations
Abstract
Among the perceived causes are a lower perception of risk, the phenomenon of chemsex — which, although more prevalent in certain groups, is spreading to other segments of the population — and the use of dating apps that facilitate having multiple sexual partners in a short period of time said Infante. Given that the increase in STIs begins at age 15 and that many of these minors do not have a primary care pediatrician, it is worth asking how to address sexuality with a minor who comes to the clinic and may need help in this regard. For minors between the ages of 12 and 16, the law recognizes the concept of a "mature minor," and the physician must assess their intellectual and emotional capacity to understand the implications of the decision, Infante noted. Taking this framework into account and applying it to the reality of the doctor's office, Infante emphasized that a fundamental aspect is the right to confidentiality: Minors, especially those 16 years or older, have the right to keep their parents from being informed about their sexual health consultations if the doctor determines that this protects the minor's best interests and their right to health."
