Antibiotic overuse is high in common urology procedures

Antibiotics are being overused in patients undergoing common urological procedures, which exposes them to potential harm including an increased risk of  infection by C. difficile bacteria, researchers warned.

Clostridium difficile, often called C. difficile, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhoea to potentially fatal inflammation of the colon. 

The study showed that almost 60 per cent of patients were prescribed antibiotics in a way that did not follow the urologists guidelines, which recommends that antibiotics should be given for no more than 24 hours following most urological procedures.
"This study shows that antibiotics are often continued for several days after common urologic procedures, even when there is no clear indication for antibiotics," said lead author of the study.

"Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use in this setting is just one example of how physicians can be better stewards of antibiotics," said an expert.

It is common for patients undergoing a urological or any other surgical procedure to be given antibiotics as a precaution to prevent a surgery-related infection.  However, overuse of antibiotics can promote antibiotic resistance, according to the  experts.

For the study, the researchers investigated whether urologists are following the  guidelines for prescribing antibiotics. They manually reviewed the medical records of 375 patients who had one of three common urological procedures.

The findings showed that 217 patients (58 per cent) were prescribed antibiotics in a way that did not follow the  guidelines.

The most common deviation from the guidelines involved antibiotic-prescribing after the procedure: 211 patients (56 percent) were given antibiotics for longer than 24 hours following a procedure, the team said.

In fact, patients were often given antibiotics for three to five days following a procedure instead of the 24 hours or less that the guidelines recommend, the team added.

The study did not investigate why urologists are prescribing antibiotics for longer than recommended after a procedure.

 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                
 PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                               
     https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                     
  FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com