More than a Quarter Million Antibiotic Related ER Visits

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between the years of 2011 and 2015 nearly 350,000 children in the US were taken to the emergency department for adverse drug events caused by antibiotics – and that at least one-third of antibiotic prescriptions given to children are unnecessary. Seven of the top ten drugs causing adverse drug events in children that lead to emergency room visits are antibiotics. What’s the Cost of Antibiotic Related ER Visits? ER visits average about $2000 each, so the total cost of ER visits for antibiotic side effects may have been around $700 million. And again, at least one third of antibiotic prescriptions given to children are unnecessary. And more than $200 million of unnecessary ER costs. On the one hand, a total of 350,000 emergency visits is a relatively small number compared to the 370 million antibiotic prescriptions given to children during that same period. Only about 0.1% of the time that an antibiotic prescription is taken by a child, does that child ends up in the ER. And the added ER cost is only about an extra $2 per antibiotic prescription. But this represents around 140 million real dollars every year and almost 70,000 emergency visits every year, about 40% of them for children under age two. These are real children, not just numbers. These are real parents who were concerned enough about their kids to brave the cost and time and hassle of an emergency visit. Antibiotic Related ER Visits are the Tip o...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Uncategorized Antibiotic Overuse Antibiotics Emergency Room Remedies Source Type: blogs