Prescribing of broad antibiotics raises concerns

Doctors are prescribing fewer antibiotics these days, but when they do, they are likely to turn to the most powerful, broad-spectrum germ killers.

That practice could be contributing to a dangerous rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, report the authors of a study on physicians’ prescribing habits in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They found that in 1998 and 1999, half of all antibiotic prescriptions for adults and 40% of those for children were for broad-spectrum antibiotics (drugs that kill a wide range of bacteria).

“Bacteria that survive these powerful drugs -- and some do -- can go on to cause infections that are not susceptible to these antibiotics,” says lead author Dr. Michael A. Steinman, a geriatrics specialist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey done in 1991-1992 and 1998-1999, antibiotic prescriptions have declined about 17% but those for broad-spectrum antibiotics have roughly doubled.

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Dianne Partie Lange