MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-6382 14 3 2025 Influence of Educational Films on Antiviral Prescription for COVID-19: Insights from Web-Based Survey in Japan 276 EN Kosaku Komiya Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Oita University Faculty of Medicine Akihiko Hagiwara Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Oita University Faculty of Medicine Yuichiro Shindo Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Kazufumi Takamatsu Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University Naoki Nishimura Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Yukako Takechi Iki-iki Clinic Eiki Ichihara Center for Clinical Oncology, Okayama University Hospital Takahiro Takazono Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Shinyu Izumi Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Shimpei Gotoh Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell, Research and Application, Kyoto University Seiichiro Sakao Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare Takehiro Izumo Department of Respiratory Medicine, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center Kazuko Yamamoto Division of Infectious, Respiratory, and Digestive Medicine, First Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Medicine Kazuhiro Yatera Department of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan Hiroshi Kakeya Department of Infection Control Science, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine Yoko Shibata Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine Keisuke Tomii Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital Hironori Sagara Department of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Showa University School of Medicine Yuka Sasaki Center for Pulmonary Disease, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Hospital Toyohiro Hirai Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University Akihito Yokoyama Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University Hiroshi Mukae Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Takashi Ogura Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kanagawa Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center Background: Prescribing antiviral agents for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 requires careful consideration based on the patient’s risk factors for severe disease progression and their vaccination status. However, effective interventions ensuring the appropriate use of antiviral agents by physicians have yet to be fully established. Thus, this study evaluated the impact of an educational film on antiviral prescription rates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This prospective, nationwide, web-based survey enrolled 1500 physicians. They were instructed to view a short educational film and assess the necessity of prescribing antiviral agents in 16 fictitious scenarios featuring adult patients with COVID-19 with varying risk factors for severe disease and vaccination statuses. We compared the antiviral prescription rates before and after viewing the educational film. Results: There was a significant increase in the antiviral prescription rates after viewing the educational film, particularly nirmatrelvir/ritonavir prescribed in cases involving immunocompromised patients (from 31.3% to 49.4%) and those with obesity (from 15.1% to 33.7%) who were unvaccinated and had no risk of drug interactions. However, viewing the educational film made little to no impact on the prescription rates for the patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia or those with no underlying conditions. Conclusions: Short educational films may promote the appropriate use of antiviral agents for COVID-19. However, their impact on altering prescription behavior appears limited and varies according to the clinical context. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.