How this fits in

Theoretical predictions about the potential consequences of unnecessary antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance can seem abstract and remote to individuals with common infections in the community. Likewise, primary care clinicians report that they rarely encounter treatment failure because of their prescribing decisions. Yet the authors are aware that unnecessary antibiotic use and resistant infections have worse implications for patients’ illness burden in the community, even for common infections. A subset of the population that is at particular risk of receiving antibiotics unnecessarily is preschool children. The present findings suggest that when children receive more antibiotics for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) their likelihood of re-consulting a health professional is affected and increases clinical workload. Children receiving ≥2 antibiotics in the preceding year were most likely to be affected. Incorporating antibiotic exposure data into clinical decision-support systems might prompt clinicians to implement strategies to support a non-antibiotic strategy, for example, informing parents about the anticipated recovery period of common RTIs in children.