[e-drug] Doctors prescribing heavily influenced by DTCA (4)

["Joel Lexchin" <joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca>]

E-DRUG: Doctors prescribing heavily influenced by DTCA (4)
----------------------------------------------------------

dear E-druggers,

Yes, patients certainly do ask for and get antibiotics for viral upper
respiratory tract infections. But there is evidence that in many cases the
doctor expects that the patient wants an antibiotic and so prescribes it
when in fact the patient doesn't want an antibiotic. One study on
antibiotics and viral URTIs showed that patients who got a good explanation
about what the problem was and NO antibiotic were more satisfied than those
who just got an antibiotic. Expectations are a complex problem that need to
be dealt with at both the patient and doctor end.

Joel Lexchin
-- 
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto ON
Canada M5R 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-923-9515
E mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca