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 Primary care doctors dispense most antibiotics, so they need to do a
better job of educating patients about when antibiotics are really
needed and the consequences of overusing the drugs, researchers say.
“The more you take antibiotics the more bacteria in your body will
become resistant, so the next time you really need an antibiotic for
pneumonia or a kidney infection, for example, it may not be as
effective,” said lead author Cliodna McNulty, head of the Primary
Care Unit at Public Health England in Gloucester.
In the U.K., 74 percent of antibiotics are prescribed by general
practice physicians, the researchers write in the journal Family
Practice. Many patients may request the drugs for viral infections,
which are not treatable with antibiotics, they add.
Antibiotics work on bacterial infections, but not on viruses.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when the bacteria causing common
infections evolve so that the drugs no longer work on them.
“Most coughs, colds, sore throats, flu and sinus infections are
self-limiting and will get better on their own. Antibiotics only
improve symptoms by about 8-12 hours,” McNulty told Reuters Health
by email.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest health threats
worldwide and leads to longer hospitalizations, higher medical costs
and death, according to the World Health Organization.
The researchers used an independent research agency to conduct a
face to face survey of randomly selected homes across England. The
1,625 adult participants answered questions about their use of
antibiotics, whether their doctors gave them information about
antibiotics in general and about resistance in particular, and
whether they trusted their doctors’ knowledge.
Just over one third of participants said they had been prescribed an
antibiotic in the past year.
Among those with prescriptions, 62 percent of people with throat
infections, 60 percent with sinus infections, and 42 percent of
those with a cough or cold took antibiotics, although all these
conditions tend to be caused by viruses.
Asked whether most coughs, colds and sore throats get better on
their own without the need for antibiotics, 86 percent of survey
participants agreed, but only 44 percent correctly answered that
antibiotics treat bacterial and not viral infections.
Just 45 percent of participants agreed that healthy people can carry
bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
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Two-thirds of participants remembered getting advice from their
doctors about their infection or about antibiotics, but only 8
percent said they got information about antibiotic resistance.
Eighty-eight percent of subjects trusted their doctors to decide if
they needed antibiotics.
“It’s extremely important for providers to share information with
patients and parents about the benefits and harms of using
antibiotics,” said Dr. Lauri Hicks, director of the Office of
Antibiotic Stewardship at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Doctors should talk to patients about when antibiotics are and are
not needed and about possible issues with antibiotics like allergic
reactions and antibiotic resistance, said Hicks, who was not
involved in the study.
“Doctors are often under a lot of time pressure, so doctors can also
provide resources to guide patients, like hand-outs and, if
appropriate, websites that have more information about appropriate
antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance (e.g. www.cdc.gov/getsmart),”
Hicks told Reuters Health by email.
McNulty said that antibiotics can be life-saving drugs for serious
infections, but they are not needed for colds or flu-like illnesses.
She noted that having a stuffy or runny nose with your other
symptoms is often a sign that antibiotics are not needed.
“Trust your GP or nurse to prescribe antibiotics when you need them.
Do ask them to share information with you about how you can
self-care, how long the symptoms should last and when you should
return (if symptoms are not improving or you are feeling worse),”
McNulty said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1VUFxeL Family Practice, Online April 12,
2016.
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