“Antibiotics aren’t automatic.” The formula, launched in a series of Medicare commercials in 2002, has remained popular. But twenty years later, has the message really arrived?
“Unquestionably, progress has been made, especially for children, says Dr. Richard Handschuh, a general practitioner in Paris. Parents no longer systematically come to us to ask for antibiotics as soon as their child has nasopharyngitis (a viral infection for which antibiotics are not needed, unlike bacterial infections, ed). “
Bringing answers to patients
In adults, however, awareness must continue. “For some patients it is difficult to be told that it will pass when they feel bad”, resumes Dr. Handschuh, who insists on the importance of pedagogy. “The idea is not to send them home and tell them that they have nothing and therefore, in a sense, that they have nothing to do with us. We have to provide answers, support. “
In the case of angina, healthcare professionals now have a valuable tool for avoiding friction: rapid orientation diagnostic tests (Trods), reimbursed by health insurance. “This allows us to detect the presence of streptococci in a few minutes and therefore to know if the angina is of bacterial or viral origin, explains the general practitioner. In this case, the patient’s adherence is much easier, because there is concrete proof. “
Complete the treatment
In addition to the wise use of antibiotics, compliance with the treatment is essential to avoid the appearance of multi-resistant bacteria. “It is undoubtedly the most difficult: getting patients to complete their treatment”, testifies Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the Union of Pharmacists’ Unions (Uspo). “Many stop the treatment as soon as they feel better, it is understandable, but the germs that remain in their body, this stop promotes the selection of resistant bacteria. “ According to a study conducted in 2019 by Ifop for the Pfizer laboratory, 41% of patients regularly take the treatment for less than the period prescribed by the doctor.
This interruption is all the more problematic as the patient is very likely to keep the few tablets left in the medicine cabinet and take them again without a prescription a few months later. According to the Ifop / Pfizer study, the majority of French people (58%) keep their antibiotics unused and almost as many tend to “cure themselves” when they are faced with an infection again.
While health authorities continue to communicate regularly on the correct use of antibiotics, they now place more emphasis on prevention, particularly through hygiene and vaccination. Clearly, the best way not to take antibiotics is to avoid infections anyway.
