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Report: Antibiotics Overused, Not Working

A February 2002 report by industrial analysts Datamonitor, shows that as antibiotics are being overused in the United Kingdom their effectiveness is decreasing. This has the effect of accelerating the development of antibiotic resistant strains.

Despite many years of warnings, doctors continue to prescribe antibiotics for even minor infections such as respiratory tract infections. In the UK, the report says, doctors rely on two types of antibiotics, penicillins and macrolides. As these drugs become more and more useless due to bacterial resistance, stronger and more expensive drugs are needed and the cycle continues.

The report says that currently, 15% of patients taking antibiotics have to have another round of treatment with another antibiotic because the first one proved ineffective.

Why do doctors keep writing antibiotic prescriptions even though they are aware of the problem? Apparently doctors are too busy to take the time to explain why antibiotic use may be dangerous. “For a time-stretched GP, it is, instead, far easier to take one minute off to print a prescription,” the report says. “Doctors find that they simply do not have the time to explain why antibiotic treatment could actually do more harm than good.”

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