Many patients expecting antibiotics for common symptoms lack knowledge of risk

Lack of knowledge of antibiotic risks contributes to primary care patients’ expectations of antibiotics for common symptoms, according to a study published online in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Lindsey A. Laytner, Ph.D., from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues conducted a survey (January 2020 to June 2021) in public and private primary care clinics to study the prevalence and predictors of patients’ antibiotic expectations for common symptoms/illnesses. The analysis included 564 patients (Black: 33 percent; Hispanic/Latine: 47 percent).

The researchers found that more than 93 percent of respondents expected to receive an antibiotic for at least one of the five predefined symptoms/illnesses. The expectation of antibiotics for a sore throat, diarrhea, and cold/flu was twice as high for patients of public clinics versus private clinics. Increased antibiotic expectations for diarrhea (odds ratio, 1.6) and cold/flu symptoms (odds ratio, 2.9) were associated with lack of knowledge of potential risks of antibiotic use. Predictors of antibiotic expectations for diarrhea included lower education and inadequate health literacy.

“Using these findings, we are developing a patient-clinician antibiotic education tool to educate and empower patients on proper antibiotic use and assist clinicians in discussing alternative (nonantibiotic) treatment options with their patients,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Genentech and Peptilogics.

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