TY  - JOUR
T1  - COnservative prescribing and the importance of psychotherapy—reply
AU  - Schiff GD, Galanter BL, Lambert BL
Y1  - 2012/02/13
N1  - 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1564
JO  - Archives of Internal Medicine
SP  - 294
EP  - 295
VL  - 172
IS  - 3
N2  - 
We agree with Wlodaver and May that prescribing antimicrobials vividly illustrates the need for conservative prescribing practices. Whether we will have effective antimicrobials in the future depends on avoiding their overuse today. Nearly all of our 24 principles apply to antibiotic prescribing, particularly those recommending treating underlying causes rather than reflexively responding to symptoms, considering drug effects as the cause of symptoms (such as fever), discontinuing drugs when no longer needed or working, recognizing that that not all patients desire or expect drug (antibiotic) prescriptions (rather than reassurance and close follow-up), and considering longer-term risks (including antibiotic resistance).

SN  - 0003-9926
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1564
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1564
ER  -