Why should doctors prescribe fewer antibiotics?

Doctors should prescribe fewer antibiotics for several important reasons, including preventing antibiotic resistance, protecting patient health, and preserving antibiotic effectiveness for future generations.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria adapt to antibiotics, making these medications less effective. This is a major global health problem as it leads to difficult-to-treat infections, increased mortality, and higher costs because treatment of resistant infections is often more expensive due to the need for more expensive drugs, longer hospital stays, and more intensive care.

Unnecessary antibiotics can cause harmful side effects without providing benefit. Side effects of antibiotics can range from mild complaints such as diarrhea to serious and sometimes life-threatening reactions such as allergic reactions and Clostridium difficile infections.

By using antibiotics carefully, we can ensure that they remain effective for future generations. Unnecessary use contributes to the development of resistant bacteria, which could mean we have fewer options to treat infections in the future.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/hcp/data-research/stewardship-report.html

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2024-05-01 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024