Should You Get Antibiotics for that Upper Respiratory Infection?

“The waiting is the hardest part.” -- Tom Petty

Over 100 million doctor visits in the US each year result in a prescription for antibiotics. Over a third of those visits are for respiratory infections. A large fraction of the antibiotics prescribed yield absolutely no benefit to the patient. The issue is much more severe than just unnecessary spending on ineffective medication. As I’ve written before, antibiotic overuse is a major cause of More