| Recent research indicates that antibiotic
delay may be an option when treating earaches in children.
This approach, known as "wait and see prescribing,"
advises parents to delay filling prescriptions for 48 hours
unless the child fails to improve or gets worse. A method
of this kind addresses the growing issue of antibiotic overuse,
and thus the emergence of drug-resistant microbes. However,
when medications are necessary, it is imperative that patients
strictly adhere to drug directions and doctor instructions
to guarantee the drug's full benefit.
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) September 20, 2006
- In a recent study published by the Journal of the American
Medical Association, researchers questioned the necessity
of prescribing antibiotics for children with earaches. This
goes against the long-thought grain of using antibiotics for
treatment and instead examines a process known as "wait-and-see
prescribing" (WASP). Doctors, in the United Kingdom and
many other European countries, that practice WASP write a
prescription but advise parents not to fill it unless the
child fails to improve, or gets worse 48 hours after the appointment.
Of the utmost importance is that ultimately if a child needs
medication, he/she remains compliant to drug regimens and
doctor instructions; behavior which can be better achieved
through patient health programs such as FLAVORx. Non-compliance
can be a key contributor to treatment failures that may result
in deterioration of patient health, need for additional consultations,
use of extra drugs, additional hospital admissions, higher
total costs of care and an increased potential for bacterial
resistance.
The study followed 300 children who were taken to emergency
rooms with an earache. Half of the children were instructed
to fill their prescriptions, while the other half followed
the WASP procedure. Reports showed that 2/3 of the children
that did not have their prescriptions filled recovered just
as quickly as the children that were given antibiotics immediately.
These results are quite eye-opening, especially for a society
that has recently begun to acknowledge the growing threat
of antibiotic resistance as a pressing public health problem.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over the last
decade, almost every type of bacteria has become stronger
and less responsive to antibiotic treatment. Improper and
over-use of antibiotics are the primary contributors to increases
in drug-resistant bacteria. Sensitive bacteria are killed
by antibiotics, but in some cases resistant bacteria survive
with an ability to neutralize or escape the effects of the
antibiotic. That one surviving microbe then continues to multiply
in the body and eventually spread to family members, friends
and coworkers.
It is important to clarify that the issue here is not to
negate the use of antibiotics, but instead to ensure that
when antibiotics are needed, they are taken properly. Failure
to adhere to a drug regimen or follow doctor instructions
further aggravates the possibility of drug-resistant strains.
If bacteria are given partial exposure or selective pressure
from antibiotics, it enables them to become resistant to low-levels
to a point at which they can survive and re-infect.
So how do young patients, like those plagued by earaches,
ensure compliance? Studies show that palatability plays an
important role when it comes taking medications, especially
in children. Most children are not yet mature enough to understand
the importance of taking medications, which is why forcing
them to swallow a bitter, foul-smelling, and in general, bad-tasting
medication can prove particularly stressful and traumatic.
Luckily there is a solution. FLAVORx, Inc is a pharmaceutical
flavoring company that has addressed the problem of non-compliance
through its scientifically-tested and medically-designed flavoring
system for over-the-counter and prescription medications.
The company has developed FDA-approved, non-allergenic, sugar-free,
dye-free, alcohol-free, and phosphate-free flavors that are
safe and effective for all children in combating the existing
taste of a medication. In addition to the improvement of taste
and smell, studies show that children are more invested in
taking medications that have been flavored because they play
an active role in making a ‘choice’ of flavor.
In addition, flavoring helps overcome any issues of food/drug
interaction that may occur when patients improperly mix medications
with food in an effort to improve taste.
The conservative, responsible and proper allocation of antibiotics
with methods like WASP, in combination with programs to increase
compliance will ultimately aid in the suppression of drug
resistant microbes.
FLAVORx is available in over 35,000 chain and independent
pharmacies nationwide including Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart,
Target and Rite-Aid. To date, over 40 million prescriptions
have been flavored without any incidence of allergy, adverse
reaction or changes in efficacy.
For more information, please contact Teresa Chen
at 800.884.5771 extension 234.
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