Limiting Antibiotics

In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.

It is thought that overuse of antibiotics is related to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (Austin). As a consequence, there has been an increasing trend to promote appropriate prescribing of antibiotics so as to maximise their therapeutic efficacy and minimise the outbreak of resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs in hospitals are exemplary of a method used to promote rational prescription of antibiotics. In this review, we will briefly introduce some examples of AMR to illustrate the extent of this issue. We will then move on to describe AMS programs and the strategies required to

A couple times a year local and national mass media put the spotlight on problems connected to antibiotic overuse. Some people consider those problems to be real and serious, and others think that the discussed topics are nothing more than new “fashionable” subjects to talk about, distracting people from “real” problems, such as climbing gas prices or war expenses. Meanwhile, antibiotic overuse continues as a common practice among US doctors and agribusinesses for the last 20 years. The practice of antibiotic overuse has put patient’s health at risk, contributed to antibiotic resistance and increased bacterial mutation to a new, stronger level; as well as it hitting the economy with new costly expenses in health care. It is time to stop

Throughout my life, adults have insisted the use of antibiotics to fight against the most inconsequential illnesses, whether it’s the cold or the flu. However, neither illness is due to invasion of bacteria. This misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, also known as antimicrobial resistance(AMR), currently one of the central issues facing the public health system. While the process for antibiotic resistance occurs naturally through the process of adaptation, the mismanagement of antibiotic resources has accelerated the rate at which the bacteria adapt. The occurrence of this misinformation isn’t limited to a few adults: even some of my peers suggest taking antibiotics when faced with the flu. This leads to asking whether AMR is truly a problem and are present regulations enough to combat the issue.

The superbug poses a huge threat to society in many ways and it raises many issues. How should the patient be handled? How many different types of antibiotics are too much for a person to retain? How can people living in poverty prevent the spread of bacteria? The rise of the superbug produces numerous questions surrounding the care of patients and the fast spread of the resistant bacteria. The way scientists and doctors treat and care for their patients should be top priority, but when the patient is either living in poverty or in an area with limited resources it becomes difficult. In many poor cultures the superbug is growing much faster because they don’t necessarily have the understanding to prevent the spread of bacteria. In places like India and Pakistan antibiotics can be bought readily at pharmacies without prescriptions. Because many people think antibiotics can cure anything they use them inappropriately, therefore creating an environment for the bacteria to grow resistant. This is a major issue in Southern Asia as the rise of superbugs is much faster here than other countries. Reasons for this include the ease of access to antibiotics, the method of isolation for patients with

Antibiotics differ from many other drugs in the fact that the treatment is for a very short time compared to drugs used to treat hypertension, diabetes, Parkinson’s, or cancer. The latter disorders have in common that the treatment, from the moment of diagnosis, is life-long. The treatment period for antibiotics is only a few weeks, making the return of investment poor. Increasing demands of authorities in both development and marketing phase and in legislation increase the costs of new antibiotics.[1] [3]

Research has revealed how overprescribing antibiotic creates several adverse outcomes, including the development of multidrug resistant organisms, Clostridium difficile infection, and increased costs of health care (Myung et al., 2015). The Consumer Report (2015) raised concern for the overuse of antibiotics and how it leads to the loss of the ability to treat serious infections. Doctors,

People often expect a rigorous antibiotic treatment with some of the smallest ailments that will often pass through with the help of the human body’s immune system. However, a study conducted in Sweden was able to investigate the public’s willingness to work with doctors to mitigate antibiotic resistance. The results from the study have proved to be quite optimistic in a population size of 1,025 participants. Numerous of these people who trusted their doctor and were adequately educated on antibiotic resistance had been willing to put off a prescription of antibiotics in a range of 1-5 days in order to create less of a need for them. When the public understands what weight antibiotics carry when they are used and when their is an established trust between them and medical professionals, less antibiotics will be consumed as demonstrated by this study (Björn 249-255). If these circumstances can be repeated in a global manner, immense strides in preventing impotence of antibiotics will be made. When people are actually prescribed antibiotics, they must follow every instruction given to them by their physician. This includes completing the entire course of the drug they are administered, taking the drug at punctual intervals daily, and not sharing or saving any leftover

In the U.S. alone, the amount of prescribed courses of antibiotics per year far exceeds the the population, indicating that some people are getting more than one course of antibiotic treatment per year. In relation to that, the treatment indication and duration of antibiotic therapy has been found to be incorrect in 30% to 50% of cases studied and 30% to 60% of patients in intensive care units were found to be given unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic treatment (Ventola, 2015). Another subject of concern is the lack of regulation in other countries. Many are able to purchase antibiotics without a prescription which leads to cheap and easy access, eventually encouraging misuse of the drug. Also, these same countries are able to sell antibiotics online where people residing in regulated countries are able to purchase them, contributing to the problem even further (Ventola, 2015). The lack of education and concern for the regulation of antibiotics can have dire consequences not only for patients but for the rest of the population, as

3. Ho : There is no significant relationship between outpatients’ knowledge on antibiotics and their attitudes towards practices on antibiotic

Peterson (2007) states that one possible reason for continued high rates of antibiotic prescribing for viral illness is patient expectation of receiving a prescription for antibiotics and fears that complications will

In layman terms, our approach to killing bacteria is proving to be a terribly planned strategy. Some of this convincing data has already been used as evidence by law-makers to change laws. The Food & Drug Administration banned the use of antibiotics in animals in America, to prevent the selection of resistance from recurring. The European Union has changed the European wide law about how biocides are registered, and now it’s a requirement for any new biocide to be registered, as well as be proven safe to use in fight against antibiotic resistant bacteria. With the implementation of these new laws we move in the right direction. Based on the data of 114 countries, the consequences of antibiotic resistant bacteria aren’t just a prediction, but a

The overuse of antibiotics has been a problem for well over a decade. This misuse leads to many nonvisible problems arising within the human population. As the use of antibiotics increases, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria also increases. When bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, another antibiotic must be used to try and kill it and the cycle becomes vicious. Michael Martin, Sapna Thottathil, and Thomas Newman stated that antimicrobial resistance is, “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society” (2409).

Eighty percent of antibiotic prescribing takes place in general practice (Haddox, 2013). Therefore, focus of limiting antibiotic

Furthermore, it is reported that there were GPs who knowingly or intentionally prescribe antibiotics even in cases of viral URTI due to fear of consequences of not prescribing as they perceived that antibiotic prescribing in primary care has little effect in developing antibiotic resistance4. Lastly, antibiotics are also inappropriately prescribed by doctors when faced with limited consultation time and poor communications with patients4.