September 13, 2006 -- Study Looks at Delaying Use of Antibiotics for Otitis Media

Otitis media, or inflammation of the inner ear, is the most common diagnosis for which antibiotics are prescribed for children, and it is also a condition that often clears up on its own when untreated. In light of growing concerns about overuse of antibiotics in medicine, leading to antibiotic resistance, some clinics and physicians have adopted a “wait-and-see prescription” approach, in which parents whose children are diagnosed with otitis media are given a prescription for an antibiotic but are asked to delay filling it for a few days while they watch their children’s progress. Studies have shown that the “wait-and-see” approach reduces otitis antibiotics use substantially in children who are seen by their regular pediatricians, and a new study reported in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found the same effects when children were diagnosed in hospital emergency rooms. The emergency room parents were given prescriptions but asked to hold off on filling them unless their children’s conditions worsened. All of the patients received ibuprofen and otis analgesic drugs for use at home during the “wait-and-see” period. Researchers reported that in the study, use of antibiotics by children between 6 months and 12 years of age was reduced by 56 percent and no serious adverse effects were reported for patients. Full text of the JAMA article “Wait-and-See Prescription for the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media” is available from the principal investigator at spirod@ohs.edu.