Antibiotics:
What You Need to Know About Overuse
Overuse of antibiotics has lead to increasingly wide-spread drug resistance. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 50 percent of the 133 million courses of antibiotics prescribed each year are unnecessary because they are often being prescribed for colds, coughs and other viral infections.
Tips To Reduce Antibiotic Use
Effective communication is more important than an antibiotic for patient satisfaction:
- Explain to patients that antibiotic use increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections
- Identify and validate patient concerns and build cooperation and trust; avoid dismissing the illness as “only a viral infection”
- Encourage active management of symptoms by recommending specific therapies and be confident with the recommendation to use alternative treatments
- Spend time answering questions and offer a contingency plan if symptoms worsen
Improvements in Prescribing Processes
Network Health Plan's HEDIS scores for the prescribing of antibiotics to adults with acute bronchitis have been in the 50th percentile range, which is lower than both the State of Wisconsin and the national averages. These lower than average HEDIS scores are especially surprising given that Network Health Plan HEDIS provider scores are above average for many other quality measures. Chart audit results for Network Health Plan patients have shown that courtesy, or "just in case," antibiotic prescriptions are being issued in case a patient's symptoms do not clear in the coming week, but our claims data shows that these courtesy prescriptions are often being filled the very same day they are written!
We hope you will incorporate these CDC recommendations into your practice. Thank you for doing your part to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics, especially during the cold and flu season!
