What You Can do to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance

As a CONSUMER/PATIENT

  • do not demand antibiotics
  • when given antibiotics, take them exactly as prescribed and complete the full course of treatment; do not hoard pills for later use.
  • don't skip doses. Doing so causes the level of antibiotic in the bloodstream to drop, providing bacteria with a "breather". As a result, some may survive.
  • wash your hands properly to reduce the chance of getting sick and spreading infection.
  • wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly; avoid raw eggs and undercooked meat, especially in ground form.
  • use soaps and other products with antibacterial chemicals only when protecting a sick person whose defenses are weakened.

Approximately one third to one half of all antibiotic prescriptions are not needed. Many health care providers report feeling pressured by worried parents or patients to prescribe antibiotics. If your Doctor wants to give you an antibiotic, ask these questions:

  • Why do I (or my child) need an antibiotic?
  • What is the name of the drug?
  • How and when do I take it and for how long?
  • Are there food, drinks, or activities that I should avoid while taking this medication?
  • Does the medication cause side effects? What are they and how can I prevent them?
  • Can I take this medication safely while I'm also taking another prescription or non-prescription medicine?
  • The more antibiotics that are prescribed, the higher the chance that you or your child will be infected with resistant bacteria. After each course of antibiotics, children are more likely to carry resistant germs in their noses and throats. When children get infections with these resistant germs, it may be more difficult to cure the infection, require more expensive antibiotics, antibiotics by injection, or even antibiotics administered in the hospital.
  • When antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily, they kill off beneficial bacterial, turning patients' bodies into breeding grounds for resistant bacteria because they have no competition. Patients who demand antibiotics and physicians who give in to patient demands or expectation are actually contributing to the development of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

As a PHYSICIAN:

  • wash hands thoroughly between patient visits
  • do not accede to patients' demands for unneeded antibiotics
  • when possible, prescribe antibiotics that target only a narrow range of bacteria.
  • isolate hospital patients with multidrug-resistant infections
  • familiarize yourself with local data on antibiotic resistancetant strains of bacteria by taking action.