DTC Use Discouragement Is Unrealistic Despite Real Concerns About Antibiotics

The Ray et al study1 of DTC company antibiotic prescribing compared with urgent care and pediatricians’ offices for ARI brought up a legitimate concern about overprescribing antibiotics over telehealth. There were several limitations to this study, eloquently outlined by Jeffrey S. Gerber,2 which included looking at filled prescriptions, data from only 1 company, unknown sociodemographic factors, and total telehealth visits being a small percentage of overall visits. Regardless, the authors and the commentator are absolutely right; concern about antibiotic prescribing is legitimate. As we deal with the ever-growing threat of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, we, as physicians, have … E-mail: aditi.joshi{at}jefferson.edu