The practice adds to our medical costs
According to research published in the journal, Pediatrics (2003;111:231-236), 1,600,000 people visited the emergency room in 1988 for treatment of the common cold. Colds are caused by viruses, and will get better on their own without medical care. In spite of that, a survey of nearly 200 families with at least one child between the ages of six months to five years, nearly 25% of parents say that they would bring their child to the emergency room for a cold. Although 93% of parents understood that viruses caused colds, 66% of parents also believed that colds were caused by bacteria. 53% believed that antibiotics were needed to treat colds. 60% stated that they would take the child to a doctor’s office. In fact, there are 25,000,000 visits to doctors’ offices each year for treatment of the common cold.
This practice affects our health care costs, and it contributes to the over utilization of antibiotics, which can cause the antibiotic, or super bug strains to develop. According to researchers, once a person has been given antibiotics to treat a cold, it is more likely that they will return to the doctor with a cold and expect antibiotics. This is expensive and it is helping to create antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
