3 ms·
The paper's content doesn't support the conclusion ("It is clear that telling every patient to “finish the course of antibiotic therapy, even if you feel better
by variaga 6y ago
The paper's content doesn't support the conclusion ("It is clear that telling every patient to “finish the course of antibiotic therapy, even if you feel better” is outdated." "The time has come to challenge the maxim “finish the course.”")
As support they cite that some infections can be reliably cured with shorter courses of antibiotics than the standard course. (they list 3 diseases that can be effectively treated with shorter courses, and 2 that cannot)
Assuming that this is true, the correct response is to prescribe shorter courses of antibiotics for diseases where that is indicated, NOT to stop telling patients that they need to finish the prescription.
- uoaei 6y agoExactly, this article seems like it's primarily engineered to manufacture bluster for publicity's sake.
- tokai 6y agoIt's a commentary in a journal with medical researchers as the intended audience. It surely seems more reasonable that it is input to an ongoing collegial discussion of treatment with antibiotics, and not bluster.