Notion that 'patients want antibiotics' reason for doctors to overprescribe them

A belief that "patients want antibiotics" could be driving healthcare providers in India to overprescribe antibiotics, and not a motive of profit or lack of education, according to a new study in India.

- 

However, in a separate experiment, researchers, including those from the University of Southern California in the US, the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and the New Delhi-based research institute NEERMAN, also found that patients do not prefer practitioners who prescribe antibiotics.

The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, suggest that a healthcare provider's misconceptions about a patient's preferences may need to be addressed for reducing overuse of antibiotics, especially prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.