GPs are failing to follow national guidance on antibiotic prescribing, says study

The likelihood of GPs prescribing antibiotics for coughs and colds rose by 40% from 1999 to 2011, despite a push by the government to reduce the amount of antibiotics prescribed for viral illnesses, research published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy has shown.1

The highest prescribing practices were twice as likely to hand over a prescription for coughs and colds as the lowest prescribers, the findings showed. The researchers, from Public Health England and University College London, concluded that GPs needed to improve their antibiotic prescribing patterns.

Specific recommendations on better prescribing by GPs were first made by …