When it comes to our health, most of us turn to medical professionals for the best treatment without questioning their methods or measures. But your doctor is only human and may not always be right. A new study has found a major discrepancy between doctors treating a particular health problem – meaning patients seeking medical attention for this common problem may want a second opinion just in case. Read on to find out which health problem requires follow-up, and for more recent health news, it can help you drop 20 percent of your body weight.
Researchers studied insurance claims for 670,400 women ages 18 to 44 who received a diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) between April 2011 and June 2015, and published their findings Feb. 24 in the journal Infection control and hospital epidemiologyAccording to the study, nearly 47 percent of prescriptions issued were incorrect, or “inappropriate based on clinical guidelines.” According to these guidelines, the researchers classified fluoroquinolones and beta-lactams as unsuitable antibiotics. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is quite common for the treatment of uncomplicated UTI, the researchers concluded. And for more urinary problems, if your urine is anything other than these colors, call your doctor.
Not only were inappropriate antibiotics often prescribed, but the researchers also found that most prescriptions were written for an incorrect duration – even if an appropriate antibiotic had been prescribed. According to the study, 76 percent of patients were prescribed treatments for the wrong time. Doctors usually prescribed antibiotics for longer than was medically necessary, not for less. And for more health concerns, discover The Surprising Thing Your Earwax Says About Your Health, Study Finds.
Anne Mobley Butler, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine and surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, explained in a statement that incorrect antibiotic prescriptions for UTIs have “serious consequences for the patient and society.” According to a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every 15 minutes a person in the U.S. dies from an infection that has become resistant to antibiotics.
“Accumulating evidence suggests that patients have better outcomes if we switch prescribing from broad-acting to narrow-spectrum antibiotics and from longer to shorter durations,” said Butler. “Promoting optimal use of antimicrobials benefits patients and society by preventing avoidable side effects, microbiome disruption and antibiotic-resistant infections.” And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
This study is particularly relevant to most of the female population as you are likely to get at least one UTI in your lifetime. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 50 percent of adult women report having one or more UTIs in their lifetime. According to the CDC, symptoms of a UTI can include “pain or burning while urinating, frequent urination, feeling the need to urinate despite an empty bladder, bloody urine, and pressure or cramps in the groin or lower abdomen.” And for more CDC guidance, you should know: If your grocery store doesn’t have this, don’t go in, CDC says.
Researchers suggest that more intervention measures are needed, so that doctors are less likely to prescribe inappropriate antibiotics or duration of antibiotics. This includes “personal and policy commitment to change, reporting progress and improving education on best practice”, especially in rural settings where prescribing UTI antibiotics is likely to be incorrect. The study explains that rural patients were more likely to be ‘diagnosed by family medicine or pediatricians or non-doctors’ than by internal medicine or obstetrics / gynecology (OBGYN), which may at best explain the lack of knowledge. practices. And for more health advice, if you’re on this common medication, talk to a doctor before your vaccination.