Antibiotic Overuse Continuing, Despite Health Concerns: Study

Although experts have expressed concern for years about the use of antibiotics and the health risks posed by the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, new research suggests that antibiotic overuse remains a problem in many emergency rooms. 

In a study recently published ahead of print by the medical journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, researchers from the University of Alabama indicate that the inappropriate use of antibiotics for adult patients increased over a ten year time period. However, the study notes that there was a decrease in inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for children during the same time frame.

Researchers examined data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2001 to 2010, using more than 126 million emergency room visits with diagnoses for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs).

Did You Know?

Change Healthcare Data Breach Impacts Millions of Customers

A massive Change Healthcare data breach exposed the names, social security numbers, medical and personal information of potentially 100 million Americans, which have now been released on the dark web. Lawsuits are being pursued to obtain financial compensation.

Learn More

The retrospective cohort study focused on antibiotic appropriate uses of the medication for infections like sinusitis, tonsillitis and non-viral pneumonia. Researchers also looked at data including the prescription of antibiotics for inappropriate cases, such as viral pneumonia, bronchitis, unspecified respiratory tract infections and influenza. Of the cases examined, antibiotics were prescribed for 61% of cases.

John Donnelly, M.D., and his team of researchers found inappropriate antibiotic use for pediatric patients under the age of 19 years old decreased significantly. However, antibiotic use for inappropriate cases increased drastically in adult patients. Researchers noted the occurrence increased from 83 instances per 1,000 visits to 105 cases in 1,000 visits during that time.

“The proportion of adult ARTI patients receiving antibiotics in US EDs is inappropriately high,” the study’s authors wrote.

Antibiotics have no effectiveness against viral infections, only for bacterial infections. However, patients continue to push for antibiotics hoping for a quick fix. Experts say that overuse of antibiotics, or incomplete use when they are appropriately prescribed is contributing to the increase in the occurrence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

Many hospitals have begun to implement antibiotic stewardship efforts. The increase in cases of inappropriate use may also be a consequence of the difficulty of making definitive diagnoses in certain respiratory infections in an emergency room setting.

Despite those issues, researchers say that measures to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in emergency room settings is warranted and should focus on increased education among health care providers; especially considering that respiratory infections make up one-tenth of all ambulatory care visits in the emergency room.

The findings of the new study come on the heels of research reported in JAMA Internal Medicine in October 2013, which found that doctors continue to misuse and overprescribe antibiotics. That research indicated that doctors in the U.S. have a tendency to prescribe antibiotics six out of every 10 times a patient complains of a sore throat, even though antibiotics are typically only necessary or warranted in one of of those 10 cases.

0 Comments

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories

MDL Judge Schedules Ozempic Lawsuit Status Conferences Throughout 2025
MDL Judge Schedules Ozempic Lawsuit Status Conferences Throughout 2025 (Posted today)

With the first Ozempic lawsuit bellwether trials not expected to begin until at least late 2026 or early 2027, the court will address motions to dismiss and other “cross cutting” issues in 2025.