Tips from pediatricians to make good use of antibiotics

Spain has reduced the consumption of these drugs by 17% between 2014 and 2022.

Despite this, our country continues to occupy seventh place in the ‘ranking’ of antibiotic intake.

Children’s health owes a lot to the antibioticsbut these medications They have become a double-edged sword as to the health of the population concerned. And the misuse of antimicrobials has caused one of the problems that most worries the health sector: antibiotic resistance.

He Dr. Roi Piñeiro Pérezcoordinator of Medication Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) remember that:

• “As true as it is to say that antibiotics are very powerful and beneficial weapons, it is true to say that if we do not use them well they will lose all their usefulness.”

In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top 10 threats to health.

Fortunately, according to data from the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN)coordinated by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), Spain is one of the countries in the European Union that has most reduced its consumption of antibiotics in recent years.

Specific:

• The Spanish population between 2014 and 2022 the consumption of these drugs has been reduced by 17%
• AND in animals 61% less used.

Nonetheless, Our country continues to occupy seventh place in the ‘ranking’ of antibiotic intake.

To continue making progress in increasingly reducing the use of these medications and use antibiotics correctlystill need to improve:

1. On the one hand, the population awareness to use these drugs appropriately
2. And on the other hand, the training of health workers so that they prescribe them correctly.

“Training among health professionals in the use of this pharmacological intervention is very variable and, in many aspects, deficient,” says Piñeiro, who assures that, among other measures, “it would help if the specialty of Infectious diseases via MIR”.

Tips from pediatricians to make good use of antibiotics

It is still very common in pediatric consultations Parents may wonder why the child is not prescribed an antibiotic to cure the infections they present.

Well, pediatric specialists remember that Antibiotics are medicines that are used to treat infections caused by bacteria, not by virus.

Furthermore, they insist that Inappropriate use, overuse or abuse results in the selection of strains of bacteria that can resist treatmentwhat is known as bacterial resistancea reality that worries specialists due to the risk it could entail for people’s health.

• “Bacteria are also alive and fightjust like us, to survive. If we abuse too much one way of attacking, They will learn how to defend themselves. Unfortunately, today we already have super-resistant bacteria that have built their own bunker and are very difficult to treat, even with antibiotics,” says the AEP expert.

Hence the great importance of using these drugs appropriately.

The specialists of the AEP Medicines Committee recommend:

And to do it well, the specialists of the AEP Medicines Committee have established 5 very clear recommendations:

1. The first recommendation is more focused on professionals healthcare than in families. And it is necessary for the doctor to prescribe an appropriate antibiotic prescription. Sometimes an antibiotic is administered “just in case,” without a well-founded suspicion that a bacterial infection may exist.

The main cause of this is the professional’s fear of “leaving a possible infection of this type untreated. The key to reversing this trend is the continued training of health workers,” they point out from the AEP.

2. If treatment with antibiotics is prescribed due to a suspected bacterial infection, it should be discontinued once it is proven that the infection is caused by a virus or other microorganism.

3. Antibiotic treatment should not be continued for longer than necessary. Each disease requires a number of days that are well defined in protocols and consensus documents. More treatment time does not mean a better cure of the infection. Thus, the time established by the pediatrician must always be respected.

4. Do not take antibiotics in case of flu, viral infection, pain or cold. They are annoying infections, which can leave the child out of play for days, but they will not be solved with antibiotics.

“We must remember that They are only effective against bacteria and, if we take them randomly to treat other infections or ailments, they will not be effective when we really need them,” pediatricians warn.

5. Although it is becoming less frequent, You should never take antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.. Even if we have a box of antibiotics with pills left over from a previous prescription, they should not be taken if there has not previously been a prescription.