News Report | April 28, 2019
Antibiotics More Often Prescribed At Telemedicine Visits For Children With Respiratory Infections
Children with respiratory infections were more likely to receive antibiotics at a direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine visit than children who visited a primary care professional (PCP), or who made an urgent care visit. Children prescribed antibiotics following a DTC telemedicine visit were also less likely to receive guideline-concordant antibiotic management than children who had a PCP visit or an urgent care visit.
The researchers found that, overall, children received antibiotic prescriptions during 52% of direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits for all conditions, compared with 42% of urgent care, and 31% of primary care provider visits. Because antibiotics can . . .