FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com June 16, 2016 • The Queens Courier 39 SUPERBUGS. THEY’RE HERE. A smart, snappy reader wrote to me asking if I was planning on discussing the preponderance of “prescribing unnecessary medications.” Not ever being one to shy away from opening the proverbial can of worms, LET’S DO IT. When we talk about the dispensing of antibiotic medicines responsibly, we use the phrase “antibiotic stewardship.” Isn’t that a fantastic term? I kind of love it. And I love its meaning even more. I know I can appeal to universal reason when I make the blanket statement that not every illness needs a prescription medication to cure it. Intellectually, we all buy this. Emotionally, however, when it’s your own kid who doesn’t feel well in the middle of the night, it’s a little tougher. I’ve been that parent who just wants ANYTHING to help her child when they are sick. Medicines are wonders for sure and do indeed x many things, but they are not without risk and every prescription should be considered carefully. Superbugs. ey are real and they are mean. And then there’s the whole other Pandora’s box of drug-resistant germs, generally thought to have come about, in large part, from the overprescribing of antibiotics. at’s where stewardship comes in. It’s our responsibility as healthcare providers to be smart about making sure we are treating a disease with the right medication by checking than an ER visit. Fas ter MORE Powerful Late at Nigh t. lab tests and cultures when necessary—like with strep throat and bladder infections. It’s also our responsibility as patients to be reasonable and accept the fact that not every illness warrants a prescription to x it—like when we have an annoying, but uncomplicated, viral-type infection. Antibiotic stewardship involves awareness of current germ patterns—types circulating, sensitivity and resistance to certain medications, education about all this, and good old-fashioned RESTRAINT. It’s natural that when you take your child to the doctor, you want to leave feeling like you’ve got SOMETHING to make them feel better faster. But keep antibiotic stewardship in mind. You don’t want “added to the strength and resistance of superbugs” on your conscience, do you? And my doctor colleagues, let’s stay rm in our conviction to treat our patients with medications only when they need them, not as an easy out of any sort. Responsible prescribing + antibiotic stewardship = fewer drug reactions + easier to ght infections. I like that math equation. Don’t you? Dr. Christina Johns Senior Medical Advisor, PM Pediatrics Read more from Dr. Johns’ blog Dear Dr. Christina, at pmpediatrics.com/ dear-dr-christina Follow her on social media: Faster More powerful than a broken bone. Able to treat your child late nigh CONTEST Or Forest Hills: 70-20 Austin St. Bayside: 210-31 26th Ave. pmpediatrics.com PMP282_SuperHeroContest_PrintAd_8.75x5.6875_4C.indd 1 4/27/16 1:PHOTO CONTEST QNS.COM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN GREAT PRIZES! Open every day until midnight. PMP282_SuperHeroContest_PrintAd_8.75x5.6875_4C.indd 1 4/27/16 1:pmpediatrics.com Forest Hills: 70-20 Austin St. Bayside: 210-31 26th Ave. PHOTO CONTEST QNS.COM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN GREAT PRIZES! Open every day until midnight. Send To: QUEENS COURIER PHOTO CONTEST 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
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