Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1058489
24 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP Are physicians overprescribing antibiotics to get higher ratings from patients? By Megan Knowles P atients said they were most satisfied with their physician's visit when they received an antibiot- ic for a respiratory tract infection, whether they needed the drug or not, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found. The researchers looked at more than 8,000 appoint- ments for these infections through a national tele- medicine provider. Patients' ratings of their appointments contributed to their physician's overall patient satisfaction scores. Concern about satisfaction scores could be leading physicians to prescribe antibiotics, study author Kathryn Martinez, PhD, told NPR. "It is very problematic because it creates an incen- tive for physicians to do things that are not medical- ly necessary in order to drive up their satisfaction ratings," Dr. Martinez said. Most telemedicine patients in the study (66 percent) received antibiotics for respiratory tract infections, a rate Dr. Martinez said is far too high since conditions like the common cold rarely need antibiotics. Physician visit reviews were significantly higher if patients got a prescription, particularly those for an antibiotic. In a rating out of five stars, 72 percent of patients gave five-star ratings after visits with no prescriptions; 86 percent gave five stars when they received a prescription for something other than an antibiotic; and 90 percent gave five stars when they got a prescription for an antibiotic. The research team said it may help to exclude reviews from respiratory tract infections appoint- ments from physicians' overall satisfaction ratings. "The incentive is too great" to prescribe antibiotics during these visits, Dr. Martinez said. n Nearly half of patients will keep leftover antibiotics: 3 survey findings By Anuja Vaidya I t is common for people to give friends and family their unused antibiotics, particularly if they are in liquid or drop form, according to research that was presented at the American Academy of Pedi- atrics National Conference & Exhibition Nov. 5 in Orlando, Fla. Researchers polled a national sample of 496 parents using an anonymous online questionnaire. Here are three survey findings: 1. Around 48 percent of respondents reported they kept leftover antibiotics. Of those, 73 percent sub- sequently gave the unused antibiotics to siblings, unrelated children and unrelated adults, without physician consultation. 2. Liquids and drops were the most common form of antibiotics diverted as compared to creams and tablets. 3. Sixteen percent reported they had given their child adult medications. "This is dangerous not only for those given antibiot- ics that weren't prescribed for them, but for entire populations of people who some antibiotics may no longer help when the bacteria they target become resistant to them," said Ruth Milanaik, DO, senior study author and director of the neonatal neurode- velopment follow-up program at the Cohen Chil- dren's Medical Center in New York City. n Physician visit reviews were significantly higher if patients got a prescription, particularly for antibiotics.