Antibiotic Use/Overuse Discussion

Antibiotic overuse is another issue that is of concern in our health care system. Improper outpatient use leads to an increase in antibiotic resistance.  Reasons for overuse are things like: the patient expects to get an antibiotic when they visit a provider; patient satisfaction scores, diagnostic uncertainty, and of course, time pressures on the providers. So, an antibiotic is prescribed “just in case.”

For this week’s discussion, find one peer reviewed journal article discussing antibiotic overuse in the healthcare system. Address all questions below in your initial response. You still must meet the minimum number of required references per the discussion rubric. The peer reviewed journal article stated above just has to be ONE of your references (and the main reference)  for the initial posting.

1. Summarize the main points of the article for your peers.

2. Provide the link to the article for your peers.

3. Relate the findings of the article to your area of nursing practice. Could the recommendations in the article be applied to your area of nursing practice? Why or why not?

4. What is  your role as the nurse in the dilemma of antibiotic overuse? How can you make a difference?