Yes

Actions

Doctors prescribe antibiotics if patients want

Posted
and last updated

Doctors are more likely to prescribe antibiotics if their patients expect them to.

Researchers in England presented several scenarios to group of doctors, involving a patient complaining of ear pain.

The majority of doctors felt there was no bacterial infection and that antibiotics were unnecessary.

But when the patient wanted antibiotics, more than half the doctors prescribed them anyway.

The overuse of antibiotics has led to a rise in drug resistant infections.