Nursing Update

Three in four antibiotics prescriptions for patients 65 and older aren’t needed, a recent study found.

Particularly for elderly patients, the stakes of these unnecessary prescriptions are high, Young said. “In older adults, inappropriate prescribing in primary care is associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes, including emergency hospital attendances and admissions, adverse drug events, and poorer quality of life,” Young said.

Antibiotics should be prescribed only for bacterial infections, which can include strep throat, bloodstream infections, bacterial pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and some types of ear infections. Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections, such as the flu, and shouldn’t be used for viral illnesses.

Most often, when antibiotics were used inappropriately doctors have offered these medicines to treat viral infections, bronchitis, or skin conditions unrelated to bacterial infections, the analysis found.

“We know that physicians typically send patients home with antibiotics if they suspect their symptoms may lead to an infection,” Young said. “This practice becomes more common when patients are unlikely to return for a follow-up visit, or have no established care within a clinic or hospital system, which more frequently happens in minority populations.”

Most Antibiotics Prescribed to Older Adults Are Unnecessary (everydayhealth.com)