How to manage unrealistic antibiotic expectations

Sometimes patients who are feeling ill don’t want to leave the exam room without a prescription. Schmuel Chencinski, MD, writes in Practice Pearls that by having a simple conversation with patients before the exam, he’s often able to preempt requests for unnecessary antibiotics.

Chencinski explains upfront that if the patient has a viral infection, they must not treat it with antibiotics because doing so could be hazardous. Following this explanation, patients are usually more receptive to leaving without a prescription if that’s what it turns out to be.

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