Prescription Habits, Deadly Consequences

Many describe antibiotic resistance as a “silent pandemic” which is continuously growing behind the scenes of modern medicine. Though antibiotic resistance occurs through a biological process, it is heavily influenced by human behavior. This includes the frequency in which we consume antibiotics, how we prescribe them, when we prescribe them and how we view them as a society. This contract becomes especially clear when comparing the United States and Europe. While both regions rely on a majority of the same antibiotics, they have very different prescribing habits which have produced differences in resistance rates.

How Prescription Practices Differ

The United States prescribes more antibiotics per person than most European countries. Patients often hold the expectation that they will be prescribed antibiotics even for the slighest cold, flu and other viral illnesses. Between tele-health, urgent care and the ability to “doctor surf”, it has become easy for patients in the United States to find a provider willing to prescribe antibiotics. As a result, at least 30% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the United States are unnecessary.

On the contrary, many European countries use antibiotics more cautiously. This is due to various national stewardship program and stricter guidelines. Patients are also much more aware that they do not necessarily need antibiotics for every healthcare encounter, which immensely reduces the rates of overprescribing such medications. With such implications, there has been statistical proof that the Netherlands and Sweden have some of the lowest resistance rates in the world.

Why Does This Matter?

Though the United States and Europe share many of the same antibiotic medications, their behaviors for prescribing such medications are very different, creating a resistance gap. A higher use of antibiotics in the United States has increased the rates of bacterial infections such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and resistant E.coli.

When it comes to antibiotic resistance, how often we use antibiotics is just as important as which ones we use as well. Europe has demonstated that careful prescription can slow resistance. While the United States, with its frequent and higher use of antibiotics, risks the increase in antibiotic resistance every day. Understanding this clear divide in regions is important in fighting this global problem.