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> In most developed countries doctors are already parsimonious with antibiotics and generally won’t prescribe them unless an infection is observable. Antibioti

• AngryData 2y ago
  Yeah ive seen it myself, and part of it is driven by people's demands and expectations to receive treatment when they go to a doctor. Even if they go for very minor sniffles, many people will not return to the same doctor later if they are given nothing other than what boils down to "stop being a wimp and rest for a few days because nothing I do is going to actually help." Especially when the visit itself comes at a decent cost to the patient (in the US atleast). So doctors who overprescribe medication are more profitable for their owners and have higher demand from patients and are incentivized to do so, while doctors following the science more closely will be less profitable and have lower demand. Better education on health and healthcare would help, but certainly not come anywhere near eliminating the incentives to over prescribe versus under prescribe antibiotics and medications. Perhaps more placebo medications could help, but that has its own litany of problems in making people believe they are receiving a medication when they are not, and numerous patients might view it as being scammed even if a placebo is the best thing that could be given to them.