The Hill: Steps to battle superbugs
Joseph Perrone, chief science officer of the Center for Accountability in Science at the Center for Organizational Research and Education

“…Instead of prescribing antibiotics — or any pharmaceutical for that matter — simply because a sick patient expects to leave with a prescription to make them better, doctors must explain to patients why a prescription isn’t necessary. And when antibiotics are prescribed, physicians should explain why completing the full dose is important. We should consider ourselves lucky to live in a society in which too much medicine is a bigger problem than lack of access to basic medical services. Still, we waste billions of dollars each year overprescribing antibiotics, leaving us vulnerable to communicable diseases. The solution starts with physicians and patients realizing that sometimes the best prescription is rest and relaxation — even if it is a bitter pill to swallow” (10/1).