In this months JAMA Internal Medicine Journal they discuss the issue of over prescription of antibiotics for throat infections despite the lack of evidence for this practice. They found that out of 94 million visits to the doctor for sore throat over a 3 year period, 60% were prescribed antibiotics where evidence determines that it should have been 10%. 73% of those with bronchitis were also prescribed antibiotics which should have been 0% as it is a viral condition. Further investigation found that a lot were prescribed the wrong antibiotic for their condition. Unnecessary antibiotic use is causing adverse effects, such as allergies, nausea, and yeast infections, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile. It is up to the public to recognize that not all acute illness requires antibiotics. If your GP chooses not to prescribe antibiotics they are not being slack. It is because they are trained to recognize conditions that dont require them.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:54:01 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015