Antibiotics Overuse
When does my child need an antibiotic prescription?
by the Babble Staff
December 11, 2006
Antibiotics — Overuse
THE BABBLE TAKE
Small children get sick. A lot. The average young child will come down with somewhere between three and eight respiratory infections each year. Doctors say most of these will be viral and should not be treated with antibiotics. Bacterial infections on the other hand require antibiotics. However, upwards of half of all visits to the pediatrician end with parents getting an antibiotic prescription. It is evident from these stats that many physicians prescribe antibiotics when they should not. This has led some strains of bacteria to become drug-resistant and experts say, unless the use of antibiotics is reigned in, the problem will continue to grow. As for why antibiotics are over-prescribed, fingers are pointed in a couple of different directions. Some blame anxious parents for pressuring doctors into prescribing. Others blame lazy, or overworked, doctors for not taking the time to explain the specifics of a child illness to parents. Pressure from daycare to keep un-medicated kids at home and widespread misinformation as to what illnesses should be treated with antibiotics are other scapegoats. One proposed remedy is "Wait And See Prescriptions," where parents are given a prescription but told not to use it unless the illness doesn't clear up within two days.
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Dr. Spock
"Antibiotics are only effective against infections caused by bacteria, not those caused by viruses. [...] Since most childhood infections are caused by viruses, more often than not, a child will not need an antibiotic for an infection, but each episode should be evaluated separately."
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Harvard University Gazette
"Doctors treating sore throats are over-prescribing antibiotics to more than a million U.S. children annually, unnecessarily driving up health costs, promoting the rise of drug resistant bugs, and exposing children to unnecessary drugs and their side effects. That's the conclusion of a new study of national treatment data by faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health."
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Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital
"With increasing urgency, parents are being warned that antibiotics are being overused in children. Over-prescribing such medication has lead to an increased drug resistance in certain illnesses in addition to wasting millions of health care dollars. But are parents a part of the problem?"
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ABC News
"The top reason doctors prescribe antibiotics for children is to cure an ailment that might not even require antibiotics, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. [...] The over-prescribing of antibiotics has been discussed for years, but today's study looks at a "wait-and-see prescribing" practice, or WASP."
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Connecticut PTA
"The first study, a clinical trial, shows that immediate antibiotic treatment results in fewer symptoms in the first 10 days. But simply watching and waiting to see if the infection gets worse worked too — and it cut antibiotic use by two-thirds. Thirty days after the first doctor visit, the cure rate was the same in the immediate treatment and watchful-waiting groups."
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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"Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work"
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"Children Given Fewer Antibiotics: GPs have cut back on the number of medicines they prescribe for children, a study reveals"
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"Acute Care and Antibiotic Seeking for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections for Children in Day Care: Parental knowledge and day care center policies"
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