Posted on 12/17/2003 6:40:23 AM PST by Theodore R.
Health Department works to educate on antibiotic misuse People see antibiotics as a cure-all, but inappropriate use can diminish the benefits, doctors say.
By Allison Fashek rep8@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - When people get sick, they tend to want antibiotics.
Jodee Tschirhart, nurse manager at the Cheyenne Children's Clinic, sees it on a daily basis.
"They think antibiotics are a cure-all," she said.
But as doctors have been saying for many years, taking antibiotics when you don't need them can cause the drugs not to work when you do need them. And the issue of drug resistance is getting worse both nationwide and in Wyoming.
As a result, the Wyoming Department of Health is about to begin distributing educational reference cards and posters to help doctors explain to patients why antibiotics aren't always appropriate.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses, explained Jeffrey Rice, anti-microbial resistance project coordinator for the agency.
Viral infections include all colds, the flu, most coughs and runny noses, most sore throats and ear infections. Bacterial infections include strep throat, some sinus infections, bacterial pneumonia and some ear infections.
When a patient takes antibiotics, the drugs kill susceptible organisms in the body, leaving behind those that have developed resistance, said Dr. Tracy Murphy of the state health department.
The problem is that if patients unnecessarily take antibiotics, such as for a cold or the flu, they can increase their risk of getting a resistant infection, which can spread to family and friends.
State health department officials have been tracking a handful of illnesses and their resistance to antibiotic treatment since the mid-1990s.
In 1995, there were fewer than 50 cases of Staphylococcus aureus drug resistance in the state, Rice said. The bacterium is a common cause of food-borne sicknesses that used to be easily treatable with penicillin. In 2003, there have been 556 cases of drug resistance involving the illness so far.
"Really simple skin infections are becoming more resistant, and it complicates treatment options," he said.
Rice said children also are developing more resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics, or drugs that treat a number of symptoms. The problem is likely being caused by too many doctors prescribing the drugs.
Murphy said children in the United States commonly get a lot of antibiotics to treat ear infections, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Developing drug resistance can be a more serious problem for children because infections can have more dire consequences for them, he said.
But it isn't always easy for doctors to know the difference between a viral and a bacterial infection.
"There's a need for better diagnostics," Rice said. "Not a whole lot of research has been done in that area."
Doctors also face a lot of pressure from their patients to write prescriptions for antibiotics when they may not be necessary. A February survey of 352 Wyoming doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants shows that 84 percent thought their patients expected antibiotics for coughs, colds and other flu-like symptoms.
Some also said they feared their patients would go doctor shopping if they didn't comply. Only 53 percent of those surveyed said they believed they could reduce antibiotic prescriptions without any decrease in patient satisfaction.
"If a patient pays $60 to $100 for a doctors visit and leaves empty-handed, they might be upset," Rice said.
He hopes the campaign will change patients' expectations.
"You should still go to the doctor if you're sick," he said. "But don't expect antibiotics if you have a viral infection."
I was unaware that patients who wanted antibiotics would go "doctor shopping" to obtain them.
You have millions of people rubbing this stuff onto their bodies and inhaling it. All without medical supervision.
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