Podcast # 473: Direct to Consumer Antibiotics

Author: Sam Killian, MD

Educational Pearls:

• A recent study in Pediatrics compared the rates of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) between direct to consumer (DTC) telemedicine, urgent care, and primary care providers
• Among the nearly 530,000 visits studied, the rate of antibiotic prescription was 52%, 42% and 31% for telemedicine, urgent care, and primary care providers, respectively
• Nearly 4/10 antibiotic prescriptions from telemedicine visits were not indicated based on antibiotics guideline recommendations

References

Ray KN, Shi Z, Gidengil CA, Poon SJ, Uscher-Pines L, Mehrotra A. Antibiotic Prescribing During Pediatric Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Visits. Pediatrics. 2019 May;143(5). doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-2491. Epub 2019 Apr 8. PubMed PMID: 30962253.

Summarized by Will Dewispelaere, MS3 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD