Programs to reduce antibiotic use often work

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Programs that attempt to encourage or force hospital doctors to cut back on prescribing antibiotics achieve that goal and help reduce the number of dangerous drug-resistant bacteria, says a review of past research. According to the review’s lead author, the fear is that doctors are prescribing too many antibiotics, which helps to breed hard-to-treat drug-resistant bacteria. It also leaves patients vulnerable to secondary, opportunistic infections like clostridium difficile – or “C. diff. …