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Literature review overuse of antibiotics
Literature review overuse of antibiotics
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The debate whether or not antibiotics are overused or necessary is a debate that is very controversial. Even in my household there is a divide in the people who believe antibiotics are overused and unnecessary and others who think they are useful, necessary, and beneficiary. I, too, find myself choosing a side in this argument after thoroughly researching each group’s stance and viewpoint. I will address both sides of the argument and then state my position and why I came to that conclusion.
The majority of ENT (ear, nose and throat) infections are caused by viruses. (1) Viruses are not cured by antibiotics, bacterial infections are. Therefore many of the common infections people get are ones that antibiotics have no cure for. This helps the argument of those who think antibiotics are overused. Many patients in pain or fatigue, due to an ENT infection, will demand antibiotics to help with their pain and symptoms. Many doctors end up reluctantly prescribing antibiotics to their patients even though they know it will not help with the actual viral infection. This may lead to the appeasement of certain patients; where parents will demand their doctor give antibiotics to their sick child even when the infection is viral. Many times viruses can cause a “secondary infection”. (2) These secondary infections are bacterial infections that infected the body while it was weak from the viral infection it had. (2) Skeptics of antibiotics believe giving out the medicine when not actually useful is unnecessary. They see it as Doctors pumping up patients with antibiotics when they are not necessary in the body. It is not guaranteed that someone with an ENT infection will develop a bacterial infection; therefore they believe doctors are taking u...
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...gh, I do believe that antibiotics should not be abused or overused. Doctors need to refrain from giving out antibiotics just because a patient is demanding it. If patients persist, the doctor needs to explain the dangers of overusing antibiotics and the effects of using it when it is unnecessary can have. At the same time, they must be careful with making sure that a secondary, bacterial, infection does not occur. In proper and necessary use, I believe antibiotics are very helpful and useful to our bodies.
Works Cited
(1) http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/understanding-otitis-media-treatment
(2) http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/advice_from_doctors/your_childs_health/bacterial_infections
(3) http://www.acponline.org/patients_families/diseases_conditions/antibiotic_resistance/
(4) http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/antibiotics-facts.shtml
Public health officials estimate that up to 50% of all antibiotics use in the U.S is either unnecessary or in appropriate.
Adegoke AA, Tom M, Okoh AI, Jacob S (2010) Studies on multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolated from surgical site infection. Scient Res. Essays 5:3876-81.
According to USA Today, U.S. doctors are prescribing enough antibiotics to give to 4 out of 5 Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being excruciatingly overused. In fact, Dr. Aunna Pourang from MD states, “to give you an idea of how high the pressure is to prescribe antibiotics, I didn’t get a job once because during the interview I told the lead physician that I only prescribe antibiotic prescriptions when they are warranted.” The development and widespread obsession of antibiotics, or drugs that kill bacteria and thereby reduce infection, has helped billions of people live longer, healthier lives. Unfortunately, the more we rely on and abuse antibiotics, the more bacteria develop resistance to them, which makes treating infections that much more challenging and leads to the growth of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Research from the Center of Disease Control found that two million people in the United States become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria, while 23,000 people die from such infections each year. Americans often aren’t informed on the power of the human body and rush to assumptions when perfection isn’t present. In a nutshell, the obsession of antibiotics is quite deadly and needs to be addressed before it’s too
Nurses should take a leading role in reducing the impact of disease on patients and influence the expansion of evidence based infection prevention practice. Antimicrobial resistance prevention must remain a huge priority. In times of opposing priorities concerning patient safety, progress has been made in undertaking these bacteria’s and infections. The outlook of a near future without helpful antibiotics should not be dismissed, and all us in positions of influence should encourage and educate the conscientious use of antimicrobials seriously and do what we can to stop the situation from spreading.
Antibiotics are often used more and more often indiscriminately, as patients believe that they are capable of prescribing antibiotics to themselves without actual medical need. In the journal article entitled “The Responses of Medical General Practitioners to Unreasonable Patient Demand for Antibiotics - A Study of Medical Ethics Using Immersive Virtual Reality”, Xueni Pan (2016), a member of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of London and leader of this study, found that patients were more often requesting antibiotics for even minor conditions, and doctors were feeling more obliged to prescribe these antibiotics to avoid losing their patients. The practice of overprescribing antibiotics makes us healthier only in the short term, as this strategy heavily invests in the present well-being over the future, which could possibly create problems. In the article “The Spread of Superbugs,” Nicholas D. Kristof (2010) writes about the effects of the infection of Thomas M. Dukes, who was infected with E. Coli that was nearly untreatable. This article points out the individual effects that superbugs can carry, and how finding ways to fight superbugs is an issue that needs to be addressed in the near future. Education could easily help the populace in identifying the existence of superbugs
...ent Reform. "Healthcare-associated Infections: A Preventable Epidemic : Hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Second Session, April 16, 2008, Volume 4." - HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS: A PREVENTABLE EPIDEMIC. U.S. G.P.O., 2009, 14 May 2010. Web. Accessed: 18 Oct. 2013.
Carroll. Even with widespread controversy over antibiotic resistance, Carroll remained neutral with his writing, pointing out facts that fit both sides of the argument. One of the most important issues addressed in the article was the lack of education when it comes to the proper use of antibiotics. The health of the public would benefit greatly from education about viruses and bacterial infections. Carroll’s article is a good resource for the basis of the topic’s education. The article informs readers about the importance of antibiotics and the development of antibiotic resistance as well as future prevention and research for antibiotic
, prevention and control in our hospitals, have left South Africa, like the rest of the international community, on the brink of a return to an era of stubbornly resistant pathogenic bacteria towards antibiotics.
Resistance arises from mutations that are not under the control of humans, but the evolution of bacteria has been sped along by the overexposure of antibiotics to both people and animals. The number of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in an area is closely related to the frequency that antibiotics that are prescribed (Todar, 2012). Patients often unnecessarily demand antibiotics to treat common colds or simple illnesses that are not caused by bacteria. Instead, these infections are caused by viruses which, unlike bacteria, are unaffected by antibiotics. Incorrect diagnosis can also lead patients to using unnecessary antibiotics, which can sometimes be even more dangerous than otherwise left untreated. Besides the fact that antibiotics kill off beneficial bacteria in the intestines, misuse of antibiotics provides an opportunity ...
Over the years humans have tried every possibility to overcome the health problems, spread of epidemics and infections, disease control and have worked towards a healthy society free of disease and health problems. They have succeeded to a great extent. The book “Good germs, bad germs” describes that though the life expectancy is now far more as it was in previous eras. Epidemic problems and infectious diseases are now getting lesser and lesser and humans are being treated successfully. The hygienic conditions have also been improved so as to ensure least growth of microbes, germs, parasites and bacteria. Antibiotics have been invented to address diseases and infections caused by bacteria and viruses. With all these substantial efforts the biologists, physicians and scientists have triggered another epidemic which is even more severe. They have killed those microbes and bacterial species which were human friendly and as a result of either their disruption or mutation, pathogenic bacteria have even become more active and resistant to treatments. This has led to increased ineffectiveness of antibiotic drugs, low immunity and various infections and inflammatory diseases. The chlorinated water for drinking and food processing along with excessive hygienic conditions indicates our fight against these bacteria and germs. Further, these antibiotics are even given to the livestock which becomes our food and as result many of their resistant germs end up in our digestive tract and other organs. Thus, the war against microbes through excessive cleanliness and use of antibiotics has resulted in antibiotic resistance among humans, which has become one of the prominent problems of medical science
In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.
Alexander Fleming started the history of antibiotics in the 1920's with his discovery of penicillin.When penicillin was first discovered and used widely, it was touted as a wonder drug, and consequently was used as one.Though not necessarily harmful to the patient penicillin was used for much more infections than it was able to combat.Today the same practice is observed in the medical profession, however at this point it is due more to the detriment of an uneducated public.Studies have been carried out that show the huge over usage of antibiotics.In the seventies Soyka et al, concluded, "60% of physicians surveyed gave antibiotics for the treatment of the common cold."[3], and by common knowledge the common cold is a virus, something that cannot be treated by an antibiotic.Nyquist
What if there were no treatment for strep throat? Or pneumonia? Or sinus infections? It is hard to imagine life without medicine for these illnesses. But what if the antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat and pneumonia stopped working? What if the bacteria were stronger than the antibiotics? The threat of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections is an increasing concern for healthcare providers, and it is important to reduce the misuse and overuse of antibiotics to maintain control of bacterial diseases.
Patients who are already in a poor state of health can become infected more easily. There are several treatments that leave patients vulnerable to infection. For instance, immunosuppression and antacid treatment undermine the body 's defenses. The prolonged use of antibiotics may reduce the effectiveness of a patient 's own immune system. If a hospital warns patients of the risk of infections before the patient begins treatment and gives the patient an opportunity to opt out of the treatment, it can be excused from assuming the responsibility of the
“An interesting byproduct of the newer solutions to medical dilemmas is the slowly growing resistance of antibiotics in bacteria (“Externalities”, 2016)”. The person who is affected by the negative externality concerning the use of antibiotics by others will see it as lowered utility: either subjective displeasure or potentially explicit costs, such as higher medical expenses in the future to treat infections that could have otherwise been treated easily at a lower cost (Ditah, 2011). In order to mitigate antibiotic resistance, healthcare workers should stop prescribing antibiotics unless it’s truly necessary. Additionally, the government should make more of an effort to tackle antibiotic resistance. People should also be educated about how overuse is