Lack of detailed record-keeping in clinics and emergency departments may lead to inappropriate antibiotic use, according to new studies. Around 10% of children and 35% of adults prescribed antibiotics during office visits had no specific reason recorded. The issue is prevalent in adults in emergency departments and clinics with Medicaid or no insurance. Clinicians failing to record the reason for antibiotics makes it challenging to estimate inappropriate prescriptions accurately. Efforts to reduce inappropriate prescriptions focus on conditions that don’t require antibiotics, but other reasons for prescriptions may exist. Incentivizing accurate diagnosis coding for antibiotic prescriptions is suggested to ensure proper usage and combat antibiotic resistance.
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Antibiotic overuse linked to poor record-keeping in healthcare settings
