American Academy Of Pediatrics
February 04, 1999
Educating parents is the single most important element in reducing oral antibiotic overuse, according to a survey of over 600 pediatricians published in the February issue of Pediatrics, the medical journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
According to the study, over 50 percent of pediatricians said parental pressure contributed most to oral antibiotics overuse, as compared to concerns about legal liability (12 percent) or being efficient in practice (19 percent). In addition, 96 percent of pediatricians had parents request antibiotics during the previous month when they were not needed, and 40 percent reported that this happened 10 or more times.
Authors from the Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, state that in 1980, over 4.2 million prescriptions were written for the oral antibiotic amoxicillin to treat ear infections. In 1992, the number had grown to over 12.3 million—an increase of 194 percent. In 1980, 876,000 prescriptions for cephalosporins—another common oral antibiotic—were written to treat ear infections; in 1992 the number was over 6.8 million—an increase of 687 percent.
Based on these data, the authors estimate that in 1998, 30 million prescriptions will be written for treating ear infections. The authors believe that solving the problem of oral antibiotic overuse must be balanced.
“Educating parents about appropriate indications for
antimicrobials must be part of any comprehensive plan to reduce inappropriate
oral antibiotic use,” say the authors. Educated parents also may influence
physician behavior by questioning the role antibiotics play in treating some
medical conditions. Finally, physicians need to sharpen their diagnostic skills
and become more familiar with specific indications for antibiotics, the authors
concluded.
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Misuse of antibiotics has been a major cause for the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Ear infections often begin with an allergic reaction. Swelling of the Eustachian tubes can prevent normal draining of fluids and allow bacterial to proliferate within the inner ear. Minimizing exposure to allergens has been found to minimize the frequency of ear infections.
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