Source: Wall Street Journal Health Blog
Apart from the potential harm to patients, antibiotic resistant infections (MRSA and VRE are two big ones) cost hospitals money. How much money? A lot apparently.
Research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease and a gathered from a Cook County, IL hospital suggests that antibiotic resistant infections cost an additional $18,588 to $29,069 per patient. This represents an average of 6 to 13 additional days in the hospital and carries a death rate 6.5% higher than for patients with infections responsive to antibiotic treatment.
The United States Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) continued its warnings that repeated and unnecessary use of antibiotics leads to increase in drug resistant organisms. A prime example of unnecessary use would be the pediatrician who frequently prescribes an antibiotic for your child who has a cold.*
*(Colds are caused by viral infections, not bacterial infections so the prescription would be useless, subject your child to the risks of medication needlessly and increase the likelihood that your child could become intolerant to that antibiotic in the future while assuring the mutation of bacteria to gain greater resistance). Know you know.
Posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esquire
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