Previous antibiotic-related adverse drug reactions do not reduce expectations for antibiotic treatment of upper respiratory tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Patients' expectations may influence prescribers' decisions about antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). We examined whether a history of an antibiotic related adverse drug reaction (aADR) influenced a person's perception about the safety of antibiotics or their expectation of receiving an antibiotic prescription for an URTI.

METHODS: We developed a questionnaire and surveyed 103 hospital inpatients, 38 of whom (37%) reported past experience of aADR.

RESULTS: Of the 88 participants who reported recent antibiotic use, participants with a history of aADR reported increased perception of harm from their last antibiotic treatment (P<0.05). Overall, 41/103 (40%) participants expected their doctors to prescribe antibiotics to treat an URTI. Participants' perceptions of antibiotic safety or expectation of antibiotic treatment for an URTI did not differ between those who had personal experience of an aADR compared with those with no history of aADR.

CONCLUSIONS: The almost universal belief that antibiotics are safe, beneficial medications, even among people with prior aADR, helps to explain the strong patient expectations for antibiotic treatment in a range of conditions. Educational campaigns about the prescription of antibiotics for viral URTI should include information that the risk of harm far outweighs any potential benefits.