Researchers surveyed adult patients in the waiting rooms of 6 public, safety-net primary care clinics and 2 private emergency departments in Texas and found that more than half of the respondents said they would use leftover antibiotics if they were feeling sick. Among the 546 volunteering patients surveyed, the most common situations that would inspire patients to use non-prescription antibiotics were having access to leftover antibiotics (50.4%), experiencing symptom improvement with prior use of antibiotics (47.5%), and perceived high cost of a medical visit (29.8%), as published in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Hospital Epidemiology. Non-prescription antibiotic use is prevalent in the United States, ranging from 20% to 45%, according to cited research.
Changing perceptions: Obviously, the use of antibiotics without medical guidance can cause patient harm and contribute to antibiotic resistance. The authors note: “Clinicians often prescribe antibiotics for self-limiting symptoms that do not typically require antibiotic courses (eg, acute respiratory infections) or prescribe longer courses than recommended by guidelines. Some of this prescribing behavior is driven by perceived patient expectations of receiving antibiotics.”
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