A study of more than 12,000 telemedicine encounters involving children with respiratory ailments has found that antibiotics were prescribed in more than half of the visits, and that patient satisfaction was strongly linked to receiving an antibiotic.
Providers who prescribed antibiotics were more than three times a likely to receive a 5-star rating from patients, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic reported yesterday in Pediatrics.
The study adds to a growing body of research suggesting that antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) is high in telemedicine, both for children and adults, and that patients who receive antibiotics are more satisfied with the encounter.
The authors say it raises questions about the limits of the technology, especially in treatment of children. By enabling parents to connect to a healthcare provider remotely, through a smart phone or tablet, direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine provides families with a more convenient and cheaper option for receiving care. But the inability to look inside a child’s ear, or perform a strep test, make it hard to follow guidelines for appropriate prescribing.
A clinician who was not involved in the study but regularly sees patients seeking quick treatment for respiratory ailments says the findings of the study highlight some of the concerns about telemedicine.
“Telemedicine has the tremendous potential to improve access to healthcare and decrease unnecessary ER visits when used correctly and responsibly,” J.D. Zipkin, MD, associate medical director of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, a network of urgent care centers in New York, told CIDRAP News. “Unfortunately, the field as a whole is in need of higher clinical quality standards and regulations, and has the potential to promote poor healthcare practices without them.”
iStock, AndreyPopov
Satisfaction linked to antibiotic prescribing
Read more at CIDRAP…
The post Telemedicine study raises stewardship concerns appeared first on Healthier Environment Living Program.