Antibiotic techniques in hospitals likely ineffective

Hospitals have long used two primary techniques for determining which antibiotics to administer when a patient has an infection. These two are cycling and mixing. A recent study shows that neither of these methods is effective. Instead, patients should be given the appropriate antibiotic for the condition without any regard to cycling or mixing.

The study looked into mathematical data to determine how hospitals could help to prevent antibiotic resistance that is occurring at an alarming rate. In some cases, doctors are having to administer medications that are considered last resorts in an effort to fight some infections. This is particularly troubling because those last resort medications might not always be effective.

One thing that is clear here is that one-size-fits-all approaches to treating infectious diseases isn’t appropriate. Instead, personalized approaches that take all pertinent information into account and uses that information to decide what antibiotic is appropriate. There are cases in which infections presenting in the same manner are caused by different bacteria. This would mean that each infection would need a different course of treatment even if the symptoms are the same.

When patients don’t receive appropriate treatments for injuries, they can suffer more harm than what they would have with the proper treatment. In the case of infectious diseases, taking the wrong antibiotic can actually increase the risk that future infections will be resistant to the antibiotics.

If you were harmed because of a medication error, you have the right to seek compensation. This can be a difficult journey, but it is one way that you can hold the doctor accountable while trying to reduce the financial hit you take because of the error.

Source: Infection Control Today, “Why Hospital Antibiotic Management Strategies Do Little to Curb Resistance,” accessed Jan. 26, 2017