Wait-and-See Approach Reduces Use of Antibiotics

The February 10, 2001 issue of the British Medical Journal reports that adopting a wait-and-see attitude in regard to children's ear infections is a feasible and practical way of reducing the use of antibiotics.

In the study, performed at the University of Southhampton, UK, the wait-and-see attitude was responsible for a 76% reduction in the use of antibiotics.

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to a dangerous increase in the amount of antibiotic-resistant strains of super bacteria that cause difficult-to-treat infections.