PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Inappropriate antibiotic use in emergency rooms not decreasing in adults

2014-01-09
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology
Inappropriate antibiotic use in emergency rooms not decreasing in adults An analysis of emergency room (ER)visits over a 10-year period finds that while inappropriate antibiotic use is decreasing in pediatric settings, it continues to remain a problem in adults, according to an article published ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

In the study, the investigators mined data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the years 2001-2010. During this time, acute respiratory tract infections accounted for 126 million visits to emergency departments in the US. In patients under the age of 19 they saw a decrease in the utilization of antibiotics for respiratory infections where they are not indicated. They saw no such reduction in adult patients.

"While emergency department antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infections decreased in the past decade among children, we saw no decrease in antibiotic use for adults with acute respiratory tract infections," says coauthor John Baddley, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, an author on the study. "Given organized efforts to emphasize antibiotic stewardship, we expected to see a decrease in emergency department antibiotic use for such infections."

That's very unfortunate, Baddley says, because the ER's see so many patients, since they are used not just for emergencies, but for primary care visits generally—especially among those who are uninsured or insured by Medicare. A major reduction in use of inappropriate antibiotics in the ER could have a big benefit just due to the large number of patients seen.

Acute respiratory tract infections, including rhinitis, sinusitis, and bronchitis, account for nearly one tenth of ambulatory care visits in the United States. While many of these infections are caused by viruses, clinicians still prescribe antibiotics for these conditions. Viruses are impervious to antibiotics, and inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance.

"The observed lack of change in antibiotic utilization for adult acute respiratory tract infection patients, especially those with infections where antibiotics are not indicated, is concerning," the investigators write in the study. "This may indicate that efforts to curtail inappropriate antibiotic use have not been effective or have not yet been implemented for this subset of patients."

Complicating the picture, the investigators suggest that the lack of reduction in use of antibiotics in these cases may reflect, among other things, the difficulty of making definitive diagnoses, and the fact that patients frequently expect to receive an antibiotic, and pressure clinicians for them.

### A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0114c. The final version of the article is scheduled for the March 2014 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New study: US power plant emissions down

2014-01-09
New study: US power plant emissions down Power plants that use natural gas and a new technology to squeeze more energy from the fuel release far less of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than coal-fired power plants do, according to a new analysis accepted ...

Scientists uncover new target for brain cancer treatment

2014-01-09
Scientists uncover new target for brain cancer treatment A new study is giving researchers hope that novel targeted therapies can be developed for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and most aggressive form of brain cancer, after demonstrating for ...

Remission from depression much slower in adults who were abused in childhood

2014-01-09
Remission from depression much slower in adults who were abused in childhood TORONTO, ON – Remission from depression is delayed in adults who have experienced childhood physical abuse or parental addictions, a new study by University of Toronto researchers has found. ...

Improved regulations to protect human research subjects would reduce burden on IRBs while better protecting study participants

2014-01-09
Improved regulations to protect human research subjects would reduce burden on IRBs while better protecting study participants WASHINGTON – Proposed updates to federal regulations that protect human research subjects need additional clarification when applied to the ...

Minimalistic raiding parties of a slave-hunting ant crack castles

2014-01-09
Minimalistic raiding parties of a slave-hunting ant crack castles A group of scientists from the University of Mainz and the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Goerlitz, headed by Susanne Foitzik and Bernhard Seifert, recently described a new slave-making ant ...

Researchers find comparable long-term outcomes between diastolic and systolic heart failure patients

2014-01-09
Researchers find comparable long-term outcomes between diastolic and systolic heart failure patients (Boston) – A new study by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) found comparable long-term outcomes ...

Genetic testing to produce more offspring

2014-01-09
Genetic testing to produce more offspring Scientists discover cause of infertility in cattle The Fleckvieh is a breed of cattle that originated in the Alpine region. A robust animal, it is now found on every continent, with an estimated worldwide ...

Minorities and poor have more advanced thyroid cancers when diagnosed, UCLA study shows

2014-01-09
Minorities and poor have more advanced thyroid cancers when diagnosed, UCLA study shows Black patients fare worst; Asians, Hispanics survive longest with disease UCLA researchers have found that minority patients and those ...

Novel potential approach to prevent infection in patients with liver failure

2014-01-09
Novel potential approach to prevent infection in patients with liver failure Findings published in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases journal, Hepatology, indicate that infection, the commonest cause of mortality in patients with acute liver failure (ALF), ...

Fusion instabilities lessened by unexpected effect

2014-01-09
Fusion instabilities lessened by unexpected effect Control of widely recognized distortion may allow greater output at Sandia's Z machine ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A surprising effect created by a 19th century device called a Helmholz coil offers clues about how ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study tracks chromium chemistry in irradiated molten salts

Scientists: the beautiful game is a silver bullet for global health

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

[Press-News.org] Inappropriate antibiotic use in emergency rooms not decreasing in adults