Pediatric ambulatory care visits in the U.S. frequently lead to antibiotic prescriptions for conditions in which they are not clearly indicated, according to a Pediatrics study.
Researchers examined nationally representative data from more than 60,000 pediatric ambulatory visits for the years 2006 through 2008. Among the findings:
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Antibiotics were prescribed in roughly 20% of the visits.
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Broad-spectrum antibiotics were prescribed in about half the visits that resulted in antibiotic prescriptions.
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Roughly a quarter of visits resulting in antibiotics were for acute respiratory tract infections in which antibiotics are not clearly indicated.
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Factors increasing the likelihood of broad-spectrum prescriptions included the use of private health insurance and geographic variation (with the highest risk rates in the South).
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Please, before giving your child antibiotics, have a serious talk with your pediatrician to be sure that you are treating bacteria and that the bacteria cannot be handled naturally by the immune system.
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Remember, antibiotics are worthless against viruses.