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Doctors overprescribing antibiotics without risk assessment, fueling superbug threat, study reveals

By isabelle // 2025-04-04

• A UK study reveals doctors often prescribe antibiotics without considering patient risk factors like age or health conditions.
• Younger, healthier patients receive unnecessary antibiotics, while the elderly are 31% less likely to get needed treatment.
• Overprescription, worsened during COVID-19, accelerates antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global threat projected to kill 39 million by 2050.
• Researchers call for personalized risk assessments and better doctor-patient communication to curb misuse.
• Superbugs like MRSA are rising, with resistance making infections harder to treat and potentially deadlier.

Doctors across England are prescribing antibiotics indiscriminately, often ignoring critical risk factors such as age and underlying health conditions, according to a groundbreaking University of Manchester study of 15.7 million patient records. Published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the research reveals that younger, healthier patients—who could recover naturally—are routinely given unnecessary antibiotics, while elderly patients who genuinely need them are 31% less likely to receive treatment. This haphazard approach, worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, is accelerating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global health crisis projected to claim 39 million lives by 2050. The findings confirm long-held concerns from natural health advocates about the dangers of overreliance on pharmaceutical interventions. Rather than arbitrary prescribing targets, researchers argue for personalized treatment guidelines and better shared decision-making between doctors and patients—a shift that could save lives and curb the rise of deadly superbugs.

Untargeted prescriptions ignoring patient risk

The study, led by epidemiologists Professor Tjeerd van Staa and Dr. Ali Fahmi, analyzed electronic health records from England between 2019 and 2023. Shockingly, they found that antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory and urinary tract infections showed little correlation with a patient’s actual risk of complications or hospitalization. “Antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections, but they carry the risks of antimicrobial resistance and loss of effectiveness when used inappropriately,” said Professor van Staa. “That is why AMR has been recognized as one of the biggest threats to global public health.” The data revealed a troubling pattern: Younger, healthier patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics for mild infections that their immune systems could handle naturally. Elderly patients, who face higher risks of severe complications, were 31% less likely to receive antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. Meanwhile, patients with multiple chronic conditions were 7% less likely to get antibiotics than healthier individuals, despite being more vulnerable.

COVID-19 worsened the problem

The pandemic exacerbated the issue, particularly for respiratory infections. During COVID-19, doctors were even less likely to consider complication risks before prescribing antibiotics for lower respiratory infections—a knee-jerk response that further undermined responsible antibiotic use. This aligns with previous research, including a Tennessee study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that over 50% of antibiotic prescriptions for children and teens were unnecessary. Pharmacist Phil Smith, who reviewed the findings, warned that overuse leads to resistance, forcing doctors to use stronger drugs or higher doses—potentially with deadly consequences. Rather than enforcing rigid antibiotic reduction quotas, the researchers advocate for personalized risk assessment tools and better clinician-patient communication. “Prognosis and harm should explicitly be considered in treatment guidelines, alongside better personalized information for clinicians and patients to support shared decision-making,” Dr. Fahmi said. A Knowledge Support System (KSS), currently being tested in North-West England, aims to provide doctors with tailored risk assessments for infections. If successful, it could revolutionize prescribing habits—ensuring antibiotics go to those who truly need them.

Superbugs loom as a dire public health threat

The stakes couldn’t be higher. A Lancet study projected that 39 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections by 2050 if current trends continue. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant bacteria are already claiming lives at alarming rates. “When you get resistance to antibiotics, you either have to change to different antibiotics or you have to use higher doses to get the same effect,” warned Smith. “And so that's a worry, because, you know, you have these standard infections that may not be able to be treated as easily in the future, which honestly can result in more people dying.” The University of Manchester study underscores a dangerous disconnect in modern medicine: Doctors are prescribing antibiotics reflexively, without weighing risks, while those most in need go untreated. The consequences—rising superbugs, longer illnesses, and avoidable deaths—demand immediate action. Sources for this article include: MedicalXpress.com Manchester.ac.uk CNN.com NewsChannel9.com

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