Patient and physician demand for antibiotics

Interest in understanding patient and physician demand for antibiotics is rooted in the perception that antibiotics are overused, especially in outpatient settings. In the medical literature, “overuse,” or “inappropriate use,” refers to situations where patients receive antibiotics for conditions that are mostly due to viral pathogens (which are unresponsive to antibiotic treatment) or tend to clear up quickly even if left untreated. In both cases, patients’ benefit from antibiotic treatment compared with watchful waiting is minimal or nonexistent. Overuse also occurs if a patient unnecessarily receives a broad-spectrum antibiotic—one that is active against multiple pathogens and typically more effective in treating resistant strains than older, narrow-spectrum drugs (e.g., amoxicillin).