Doctors often prescribe unneeded antibiotics to save their time
According to a recent research study, many medical doctors knowingly
prescribe unneeded antibiotics to children because they think it's easier
and faster than telling parents why the medicine isn't necessary.
Ironically, the researchers found that it would have taken them no longer to
properly educate the parents rather than put the children at risk from
unnecessary drugs.
Researchers analyzed 2,076 office visits for children under the age of 18
who were seen by a primary care physician for a cold, upper respiratory
infection, bronchitis, or bronchiolitis from 1993 to 2000, as reported in
the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Although they found that
inappropriate antibiotic prescribing (IAP) occurred in 883 cases, or 43%,
they noted almost no difference between the length of time those visits took
and the length of visits where no antibiotics were prescribed.
Other factors which appeared to influence antibiotic use included private
insurance coverage or self-payment, a diagnosis of bronchitis, or other
symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat. Non-pediatrician providers
were more likely to prescribe antibiotics, as were doctors in the South or
Midwest and those who practiced in non-metropolitan areas.
"Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is a significant public health
problem," said principal investigator Marion E. Hare, M.D., of The
University of Tennessee Health Science Center. "Providers must take the lead
in educating their patients about the proper use of these medicines. To do
so takes little or no more time than simply writing a prescription would
take."
Antibiotics are drugs that fight bacterial infections but are ineffective
against viruses, such as the common cold and flu. According to The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly all bacterial infections in the
United States and throughout the world are becoming resistant, largely due
to the inappropriate use of these medicines. In 1995, the CDC launched a
national campaign to educate providers and the public about the dangers of
inappropriate antibiotic use.
The
results of the study were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies’
Annual Meeting in May 2003.
SOURCE:
University of Tennessee Health Science Center, May 4, 2003.
