Telemedicine ‘Visits’ Are More Likely to Result in Guideline-Noncompliant Antibiotic Prescriptions

A study just published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that the rate of antibiotic prescribing for children with symptoms of acute respiratory infections is higher in connection with direct-to-consumer telemedicine than for those children whose parents take them to an urgent care center or primary care provider. Unfortunately, only 59% of those prescriptions were in accord with existing guidelines, the authors reported; the rate of “compliant” prescriptions in urgent care and primary care visits topped 65%. The study was based on 4,604 telemedicine encounters, 38,408 visits to urgent care centers, and 485,201 trips to the primary care provider.