EDUCATING PARENTS ABOUT ANTIBIOTIC USE
Vaz LE, Kleinman KP, Lakoma MD, et al. Prevalence of parental misconceptions about antibiotic use. Pediatrics. 2015;136:221-231.
Misperceptions about antibiotic use persist and continue to be more prevalent among parents of Medicaid-insured children, according to a study of 1,500 Massachusetts parents.
Investigators examined antibiotic-related knowledge and attitudes among both Medicaid-insured and private-insured parents and found
• Fewer Medicaid parents answered questions correctly, except for one regarding bronchitis.
• Medicaid patients were more likely to request unnecessary antibiotics.
• More parents in 2013 understood that green nasal discharge did not require antibiotics than in 2000.
• Medicaid-insured parents were younger, less likely to be white, and had less education than those commercially insured.
COMMENTARY
Decreasing the unnecessary use of antibiotics for viral infections is an important component of decreasing the development of antibiotic-resistant organisms. An important driver of clinician use of antibiotics is patients’ expectations for antibiotics. This study shows that much work remains to be done in changing patient expectations, which is not surprising to any practicing clinician. This study also suggests that the expectation for antibiotics is greater among those individuals with Medicaid insurance, which suggests that an opportunity exists for Medicaid insurance plans to do targeted patient education on this issue—which should improve patient outcomes, decrease cost from use of unneeded antibiotics, and decrease the development of antibiotic-resistant organisms.
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