Two new research polls, commissioned by The Longitude Prize, have demonstrated that even though there has been a reduction in the number of prescribed antibiotics GPs are still inclined to err on the side of caution.
Prescriptions
The polls demonstrated that patients are requesting antibiotics less, indicating that the awareness campaigns are having an effect, however, there are still misconceptions surrounding antibiotic capabilities with nearly a quarter of respondents believing that antibiotics can treat viral infections. Additionally, there is a high proportion of antibiotic prescriptions being made when GPs err on the side of caution — this has been partly attributed to the lack of tools to diagnose bacterial infections.