Based on a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah and clinicians at Veteran Affairs (VA) Salt Lake City Health Care System, overuse of antibiotics is a nationwide concern. The new study points to health care providers as being the major contributors regarding this issue, noting that 10 percent of them write antibiotic prescriptions for around 95 percent of patients who visit them complaining of sharp respiratory infection. Assistant professor of medicine at the University of Utah and clinician at the VA (Veteran Affairs) Salt Lake City Health Care System, UT, and study author Dr. Barbara Jones and her team published their discoveries in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Antibiotics are potent drugs that stave off and treat bacterial infections such as meningitis, ulcers, strep throat, among others. However, they do not treat those infections cause by viruses such as flu, cold, bronchitis, and others. Therefore, when an antibiotic is administered to fight off a viral infection, it attacks innocuous, even healthy bacteria which can lead to antibiotic resistance. This latest study reveals how even today antibiotics are misused by various health care providers as more often than not, they are prescribed for viral instead of bacterial infections.
The Mayo Clinic has detailed several possibilities as to why this misuse of prescribing antibiotics exists. One instance is that physicians may prescribe an antibiotic prior to getting the test results showing that the infection is viral rather than bacterial. Patients can also influence a physician’s decision in seeking immediate relief even if their infection is viral. Over the course of their study, Jones and her team wanted to gain a deeper understanding of antibiotic prescription practices among health care providers in the United States. The team analyzed the VA electronic health record, involving 1,044,523 patient visits for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) across 990 emergency departments or clinics at 130 VA Medical Centers over the US between 2005 and 2012.
The researchers discovered that antibiotics were prescribed in 68 percent of all patients for ARIs, with antibiotic prescriptions rising by 2 percent during the 8 year span. Additionally, the team found a 10 percent rise in the number of macrolides (broad-spectrum antibiotics) prescribed, in spite of existing regulations suggesting against the use of these antibiotics as a principal treatment for the bulk of respiratory infections. The team notes their discoveries in accordance with the variation in prescribing practices remained even after accounting for patient characteristics, such as age, sex and presence of other medical conditions.
The team says their study points towards improving and understanding how health care providers make decisions regarding antibiotic prescribing could help significantly cut antibiotic overuse in the future.
“We’d like to use this research to start a conversation among providers and patients about antibiotic prescribing for ARIs, and share the approaches of providers who are prescribing antibiotics less frequently with those who may be prescribing too often,” said Jones.
It is also of value to get a second opinion if prescribed a medication (antibiotic or otherwise) to see whether it coincides with the present medical condition.
