Back

Read- How poor antibiotic knowledge fuels unnecessary demand in primary care

Medical News 1 min 18

Font Size

Created On: 23/12/2024

What's new?

Patients with lower health literacy frequently expect antibiotics for common conditions like diarrhea and respiratory infections, underscoring the critical need for tailored education to curb misuse and promote informed antibiotic use.

A recent survey published in “Annals of Family Medicine” revealed that many patients, especially those with lower education and health literacy, expect antibiotics for common illnesses like diarrhea across public and private primary care clinics.

The survey, involving 564 participants from January 2020 to June 2021 found that over 93% of Black and Hispanic/Latino patients expected antibiotics for at least one of five common symptoms, such as sore throat, diarrhea, and respiratory infections (cold/flu). Patients from public clinics were nearly twice as likely to anticipate receiving antibiotics than private clinics, particularly for sore throat, diarrhea, and cold/flu.

The study also highlighted that a lack of awareness about the risks of antibiotic misuse considerably contributed to these expectations, with an increased likelihood for diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6) and cold/flu (OR = 2.9). The study findings emphasize the need for targeted education efforts as part of future antibiotic stewardship programs, thereby improving patient understanding of when antibiotics are truly necessary and the potential dangers of their overuse.