Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio

User menu

  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
British Journal of General Practice
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio
  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in
  • Follow bjgp on Twitter
  • Visit bjgp on Facebook
  • Blog
  • Listen to BJGP podcast
Advertisement
British Journal of General Practice

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
Letters

Antibiotic overprescribing: who are the bad guys?

John Sharvill
British Journal of General Practice 2013; 63 (614): 461. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp13X671515
John Sharvill
FRCGP, Balmoral Surgery, Canada Road, Deal. E-mail:
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: john.sharvill@nhs.net
  • Article
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

The July Journal includes many articles on trying to reduce antibiotic prescribing in respiratory infections.1–5 May I bounce back a few obstacles?

Azithromycin to be taken three times a week? We have a growing cohort from secondary care of people with chronic airways disease, emphysema, and now also asthma, including children, who are put on this long term. Flares of chronic airways disease are poorly defined but antibiotics are considered good for this.

New syndromes like persistent wet cough in childhood seem to benefit from antibiotics. Ear, nose, and throat surgeons believe antibiotics work in sinus pain, despite vague NICE advice that seems to apply to primary care only.

There seems to be an epidemic of apparent urine infections diagnosed and treated with antibiotics in any ill older person in casualty. Any residential home resident where the staff can ‘dip urine’, and prescribing allied professionals are perhaps greater causes of current questionable prescribing.

Ill, hot children who attend hospital in our area always come out on antibiotics, usually co-amoxiclav.

All this makes it hard to stem the tide of antibiotic overuse. Add to this the failure of European or worldwide regulators to reduce pharmacy dispensing without prescription and it makes me wonder why we, as GPs, are seen as the bad guys.

The article on pharmacy advice also contrasts with the practice in southern Europe, where pharmacies appear to be pretty willing to sell antibiotics.

  • © British Journal of General Practice 2013

REFERENCES

  1. 1.↵
    1. Moore M
    (2013) Antibiotics: time to act. Br J Gen Pract 63(612):340–341.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  2. 2.
    1. McNulty C,
    2. Nichols T,
    3. French DP,
    4. et al.
    (2013) Expectations for consultations and antibiotics for respiratory tract infection in primary care: the RTI clinical iceberg. Br J Gen Pract doi:10.3399/bjgp13X669149.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  3. 3.
    1. Elshout G,
    2. van Ierland Y,
    3. Bohnen AM,
    4. et al.
    (2013) Alarm signs and antibiotic prescription in febrile children in primary care: an observational cohort study. Br J Gen Pract doi:10.3399/bjgp13X669158.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  4. 4.
    1. Vodicka TA,
    2. Thompson M,
    3. Lucas P,
    4. et al.
    (2013) Reducing antibiotic prescribing for children with respiratory tract infections in primary care: a systematic review. Br J Gen Pract doi:10.3399/bjgp13X669167.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  5. 5.↵
    1. Le Corvoisier P,
    2. Renard V,
    3. Roudot-Thoraval F,
    4. et al.
    (2013) Long-term effects of an educational seminar on antibiotic prescribing by GPs: a randomized controlled trial. Br J Gen Pract doi:10.3399/bjgp13X669176.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
View Abstract
Back to top
Previous ArticleNext Article

In this issue

British Journal of General Practice: 63 (614)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 63, Issue 614
September 2013
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Or,
sign in or create an account with your email address
Email Article

Thank you for recommending British Journal of General Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person to whom you are recommending the page knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Antibiotic overprescribing: who are the bad guys?
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from British Journal of General Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from British Journal of General Practice.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Antibiotic overprescribing: who are the bad guys?
John Sharvill
British Journal of General Practice 2013; 63 (614): 461. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp13X671515

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Antibiotic overprescribing: who are the bad guys?
John Sharvill
British Journal of General Practice 2013; 63 (614): 461. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp13X671515
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Mendeley logo Mendeley

Jump to section

  • Top
  • Article
    • REFERENCES
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF

More in this TOC Section

  • It’s time to look again at GP funding
  • Inequalities in CKD management can be overcome
  • Changes in patient experience associated with growth and collaboration in general practice
Show more Letters

Related Articles

Cited By...

Advertisement

BJGP Life

BJGP Open

 

@BJGPjournal's Likes on Twitter

 
 

British Journal of General Practice

NAVIGATE

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • All Issues
  • Online First
  • Authors & reviewers

RCGP

  • BJGP for RCGP members
  • BJGP Open
  • RCGP eLearning
  • InnovAiT Journal
  • Jobs and careers
  • RCGP e-Portfolio

MY ACCOUNT

  • RCGP members' login
  • Subscriber login
  • Activate subscription
  • Terms and conditions

NEWS AND UPDATES

  • About BJGP
  • Alerts
  • RSS feeds
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

AUTHORS & REVIEWERS

  • Submit an article
  • Writing for BJGP: research
  • Writing for BJGP: other sections
  • BJGP editorial process & policies
  • BJGP ethical guidelines
  • Peer review for BJGP

CUSTOMER SERVICES

  • Advertising
  • Contact subscription agent
  • Copyright
  • Librarian information

CONTRIBUTE

  • BJGP Life
  • eLetters
  • Feedback

CONTACT US

BJGP Journal Office
RCGP
30 Euston Square
London NW1 2FB
Tel: +44 (0)20 3188 7679
Email: journal@rcgp.org.uk

British Journal of General Practice is an editorially-independent publication of the Royal College of General Practitioners
© 2021 British Journal of General Practice

Print ISSN: 0960-1643
Online ISSN: 1478-5242