Doctors prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily

Irish doctors prescribe antibiotics for colds and flus unnecessarily, for fear of offending their patients, a new study has found. Dr Laura Noonan said doctors struggled with the "cultural expectation" of prescribing something though they know it will have no impact on the symptoms of colds or flus which are caused by viruses.

Dr Noonan carried out research on behalf of the Respiratory Tract Treatment Forum (RTTF) which was set up to advocate for proper use of antibiotics in primary care settings.

She examined prescribing trends in rural GP practices and found many doctors were reluctant to damage the relationship with their patients by sending them home from the surgery empty-handed.

“They are worried about losing that therapeutic relationship with their patient,” she said. More than a quarter of surveyed patients felt that doctors who did not prescribe antibiotics for their colds and flu did not understand how poorly they felt. However, 57 per cent of those patients did not feel the GP were being dismissive of their symptoms.

“My study showed that GPs may also overestimate the desire of patients with colds and flus for an antibiotic,” she said.