Fewer Antibiotics? Try Communication First

It may sound too simplistic, but it could be that better communication, along with a simple blood test, may help reduce the use of unnecessary antibiotics for lower respiratory infections, such as bronchitis.

Although people are told that antibiotics don’t help fight colds (what’s that saying? If you don’t treat a cold, it will last 7 days, if you treat it, it’ll only last a week), many still insist that antibiotics will help them feel better. While doctors shouldn’t prescribe them for illnesses caused by viruses, some still do because it may be easier than arguing or trying to educate some more. They may feel they’re helping their patients and the patients may think they get better faster, but what is really happening is that both are contributing to the ever-increasing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are developing.

The latest issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has the results of a large trial done in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, where researchers found that family doctors or general practitioners who had received advanced training in communication skills and who used a simple blood test prescribed fewer antibiotics for these types of lower respiratory tract infections.

According to a press release issued by Cardiff University ,

“The results showed that 54% of GPs practising according to usual care prescribed antibiotics, whereas 27% of those who had been trained in the advanced communication and 31% of the GPs who used the blood test methods did so. Only 23% of GPs who were trained in the advanced communication skills and who used the blood test prescribed antibiotics.”

We know that doctors are busy and, as the population in North America ages, they’re going to be busier. But, sometimes taking the time to really understand the issue and to talk to the patients could end up saving more time in the long run.

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