Antibiotic misuse: doctors told to 'snoop' on colleagues

Doctors have been advised to monitor their colleagues and intervene if they feel antibiotics are being oversubscribed.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines to GPs in an attempt to counter the over-prescription of antibiotics which is fuelling the rise of drug-resistant diseases.

"Antibiotic use has gone up and up and up each year despite a number of initiatives to damp down on their use," Professor Mike Baker told the BBC.

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"I think peer pressure has to be a part of any strategy to reduce antimicrobial use," he said. "Health professionals should question the practices of colleagues when they are not in line with local and national guidelines."

The latest guidelines also instructed doctors to take a tougher approach to patients demanding antibiotics, after a study revealed that 97 per cent of patients who requested the drugs received them. NICE argues that patient pressure is a significant problem, with some GPs "afraid of not prescribing antibiotics even when they know it's wrong."

The advice follows numerous reports warning of the dangers of overprescribing antibiotics. In December, experts warned that antibiotic-resistant diseases are predicted to cause an extra 10 million deaths every year unless urgent action to lower prescriptions is taken.

"Resistance to all antimicrobials is increasing and, combined with a lack of new antimicrobial medicines, there is a heightened risk in the future that we may not be able to treat infections effectively," Professor Alastair Hay, chairman of the NICE guideline committee, told the Daily Telegraph.

The Royal College of GPs has welcomed the recommendations. "It is essential that GPs, their practice teams and pharmacists discuss the alternatives with patients who ask for antibiotics to treat minor illnesses, most of which will get better on their own over time," said chairwoman Dr Maureen Baker.