Free JUCM Webinar: Don’t Wind Up in Court Over Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing

There’s a constant push-and-pull in every urgent care center in the country: prescribe antibiotics only for the indications for which they’re approved, or give in to patient demands that they “need” an antibiotic even if your years of medical training and experience tell you otherwise. Refuse the patient and they just might stalk out of your office and write a damning review on social media. Give them exactly what they ask for (ie, prioritize making them happy), though, and the consequences could be far worse. The long-term effect could be antibiotic resistance, which is responsible for more than 35,000 deaths in the U.S. annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Short-term, patients could experience any number of the side effects on the label. Either way, if you’ve prescribed a drug that wasn’t medically necessary there’s a risk that you’ll be sued and not have the strongest case to stand on. The damage to your livelihood could be devastating. These issues will be discussed in detail, and in the context of real-life examples, during The Medicolegal Ramifications of Choosing the Right Antibiotic: Protecting Yourself and Your Patient, a live webinar hosted by JUCM and supported by rb (Reckitt Benckiser) on Tuesday, December 15, from 2 to 3 pm. Drs. Michael Weinstock and Matthew Delaney will lead a discussion on recognizing the legal risk of making questionable decisions on antibiotic prescribing, while also addressing the risk of such prescriptions to the patient. Dr. Weinstock is associate program director at Adena Emergency Medicine Residency and professor of emergency medicine, adjunct at The Ohio State University college of Medicine, as well as senior editor, clinical content, for JUCM. Dr. DeLaney is associate program director, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Click here for more information.