According to a new study, there’s a hefty chance you don’t actually need the antibiotic your doctor prescribed you. Researchers examined data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which included information from more than 990 million doctor visits in the U.S. in 2015. They found that 13% of the visits — about 130 million — resulted in an antibiotic prescription. The researchers then used the data to determine if the prescriptions were appropriate.
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The study showed that 57% of the antibiotic prescriptions were appropriate for patients, but 25% were not. The remaining 18% were left undetermined due to too little data. That means that potentially, 43% of prescriptions could be inappropriate.
Study author Michael Ray explained, “While there has been a lot of research looking at inappropriate prescribing, our findings suggest that we still may be underestimating the proportion of prescriptions that are inappropriate.” He added, “Because antibiotic resistance is such a pervasive health issue, it is important to limit inappropriate prescribing to the best of our ability.”
Researchers found that certain groups of people were more likely to get potentially unnecessary antibiotics than others. Around 20% of patients aged 18 and older received antibiotics without a documented reason, compared to 8% of children. Patients who spent more time with the doctor during their visit were also more likely to be prescribed an antibiotic without an indication.
Specialists were found more likely to prescribe antibiotics without indication than primary care doctors — 29% compared to 12%, respectively. Researchers also found that 22% of patients with a chronic illness were more likely to be prescribed antibiotics, compared to 14% of patients who did not suffer from a chronic condition.
The overprescribing of antibiotics may be due to several factors. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics because they are unsure whether an infection is viral or bacterial, or they may feel pressured by patients to hand out some type of treatment, among other factors.