Many patients with acute conjunctivitis — pink eye — may be prescribed unneeded antibiotics, according a study published in the journal Ophthalmology.
For the study, researchers analyzed data compiled in a managed care network on more than 300,000 patients diagnosed with acute conjunctivitis from 2001 through 2014. Analysis revealed 58 percent of the patients filled a prescription for antibiotic eye drops. Among those prescribed antibiotics, 20 percent filled an additional prescription for an antibiotic-steroid combination. Antibiotics are rarely necessary to treat pink eye, according to the researchers.
Additionally, researchers found the likelihood of being prescribed antibiotics had more to do with the patient's socioeconomic background than their medical condition. More affluent patients were more likely to fill an antibiotic prescription than their less-affluent counterparts. Whites were also more likely to fill an antibiotic prescription than both Hispanics and blacks.
"This study opens the lid on overprescribing of antibiotics for a common eye infection," said lead author Nakul Shekhawat, MD, an ophthalmology resident at University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. "It shows that current treatment decisions for pink eye are not based on evidence, but are often driven more by the type of healthcare practitioner making the diagnosis and the patient's socioeconomic status than by medical reasons. The potential negative consequences are difficult to justify as we move toward focusing on value in healthcare."
More articles on infection control:
1 dead in New York City Legionnaires' outbreak
Scientists push for stricter regulations on antimicrobial chemicals in household items
Some bacteria stay alive 45 minutes after a cough, new research shows