The Issue With Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious problems facing modern medicine. Unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions have started to lead to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rendering available antibiotics less useful and effective in fighting illnesses when they are really needed.
In 2018, it was reported that antibiotic resistance was responsible for at least 2 million people being infected by bacteria. These infections often lead to hospitalizations and, in some cases, to death. To help combat antibiotic resistance, those who are prescribed the medication should take them as directed in order to make sure the bacteria do not survive, potentially evolving into more antibiotic resistant strains.
Uti Relief Could Be A Phone Call Away
In general, Im not one to treat patients over the phone for gynecologic conditions. Theres nothing like taking a careful history and laying eyes on a patient when it comes to making the right diagnosis. So in general, if you call me with a complaint, Im going to get you in to see me.
Except if its a urinary tract infection .
Research has shown that most run-of-themill cases of bladder infection in otherwise healthy women can be quickly and accurately diagnosed and treated over the phone. The advantage to such rapid treatment is prevention of more serious infection of the upper urinary tract and kidney that can occur if treatment is delayed. Not to mention quick relief of the incredibly uncomfortable symptoms of frequent, painful urination.
Not all practices offer phone treatment of UTIs, preferring to bring the patient in to confirm the diagnosis before treating with antibiotics. Theres nothing wrong with this approach, and many of my patients do prefer to come in and confirm the diagnosis before taking antibiotics that could have potential side effects. But in most cases, two simple questions that can be asked over the phone can provide the info needed for an accurate diagnosis.
The Two Most Important Questions in Determining a UTI
Bonus Questions
I find two more questions useful in supporting the presumed diagnosis of UTI.
Red Flags
Conditions that can masquerade as a UTI
When a phone call isnt good enough
Professor Hanan H Balkhy
A great question Vismita. So when patients are admitted to the hospital and they start having more complexity from their disease so they can have what is known as a super infection with a bacteria, or if they’re in the intensive care unit and they’re also susceptible to having an overlying bacterial infection on top of the viral infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. And the WHO did come out with recommendations on when to use antibiotics within the course of SARS-CoV-2 patients, and those are usually within the moderate to severe disease classification of this illness.
Vismita Gupta-Smith
Hannan explained to us why we are concerned about scenarios where people may be taking antibiotics without a prescription or may not be completing the cause, or may be taking antibiotics that has been prescribed for someone else because they heard that this was effective for someone else with similar symptoms. Explain to us why this is a matter of concern for us.
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Which Medications Can I Get Prescribed
In the ACT, any medication can be prescribed via telehealth. However, in NSW there are restrictions which apply to schedule 8 medications such as strong pain killers or stimulants and schedule 4 Appendix D medications . If you have any questions about this or want to find out more, please speak to your doctor or GP.
See An Online Dentist Or Doctor For Your Toothach
If you feel pain in or around your teeth, it is likely generally referred to as a toothache and its time to see a dentist. Web doctors have online dentists to diagnose and treat toothaches and infections by prescribing pain relief and infection-fighting anti-biotics until you can get to a physical dentist.
There are multiple different causes of toothaches, including:
Infected gums Consistently grinding your teeth or chewing gum A filling that becomes damaged Abscessed tooth A fractured tooth
Regardless of the cause of your toothache, it can make chewing, talking, or even opening your mouth difficult. You shouldnt have to endure this type of pain! With an online appointment from our doctor on demand, we can prescribe antibiotics to help you with a toothache while you are waiting to see your dentist. You will get the quality care that you need from the comfort of your own home, avoiding busy waiting rooms, and coordinating an appointment with an in-person professional.
Symptoms of Tooth Abscess
How to Get Your Prescription Online
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Instant Consult Help Make It Easier To Order Prescription Repeats In Australia
When you have registered with the Instant Consult service, all you need to do book your gp appointment online is hit the Request a Consult button and you will be connected with a online doctor in Australia within 15 minutes. If it is deemed medically appropriate, the repeat prescription will be sent directly to your nominated pharmacy for immediate collection. For a list of the pharmacies we work with, check the Instant Consult Pharmacy Directory.
Day And Night Access To Online Prescriptions From Real Doctors
Enjoy round-the-clock access to registered doctors who can quickly issue you with an online prescription.
Instant Consult allows you towell, instantly consult! Dont waste any more time booking with receptionists and sitting in waiting rooms amongst other sick people when you can use our app to talk to a doctor right away!
We have designed our service so that you can access a doctor and get online prescriptions anywhere, 7 days a week. At Instant Consult we think it should be as easy as possible for people to obtain an online prescription to get the medication they need, without compromising on safety or due diligence.
Instant Consult is a platform that allows anyone in Australia to connect instantly with fully qualified GPs without the need for an appointment to obtain an online prescription. Using fully secure and encrypted software and browsers, our doctors can perform video consultations immediately no waiting for an appointment, no unnecessary travel and without it costing the earth.
Instant Consult can be an easy way to get your online prescription, as well as a medical certificate for work especially if you need it quickly. All our GPs are fellows of the RACGP and the ACCRM the highest qualification a GP can obtain in Australia so they are able to not only offer medical advice to help, they can also write your online doctor prescription even repeat and compound to be sent to your local pharmacy for immediate pick up.
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Are There Antibiotics You Can Get Over The Counter
Yes, there are antibiotics that you can get over the counter. These can be found at any local drug store or grocery store pharmacy. That said, only certain types of antibiotics, such as topical antibiotics, are available over the counter. Stronger antibiotics, such as oral antibiotics, require a prescription from a doctor.
Antibiotics can be given via different routes in and on the body. There are invasive and less invasive ways to administer antibiotics.
The four types of antibiotic administration routes include:
Less invasive administration routes of antibiotics include topical routes. Many topical antibiotics are available over the counter. These antibiotics are creams that are spread onto the skin to treat minor scrapes, wounds, acne, and burns.
Topical over-the-counter antibiotics include:
All antibiotics have risks of use as well as benefits. Antibiotics can cause other problems, including gut microbiome disturbance, side effects such as vomiting, and can interact with other medicines you take. Because of the complexity of oral antibiotic use, it is no surprise that you need a prescription from a medical doctor.
Other Benefits Of Medication Prescription Using Teledentistry
Outside of receiving new prescriptions from a dentist, there are still many uses for teledentistry regarding medication prescription. Probably the most obvious one is getting refills for existing medications. These often require a dentists signature, and doing so via teledentistry eliminates unnecessary trips to the office.
Teledentistry can also be used to get feedback for non-prescription drugs. There is a range of over-the-counter medications that patients often use to help with dental issues. Using teledentistry, dentists have the ability to assess the situation, and then recommend effective non-prescription options to treat symptoms until an appointment can be scheduled. Being able to talk to a dentist can help you decide which medications are the best choice for your situation.
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Can I Get Antibiotics Without Seeing A Doctor
You can not get oral antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and penicillin, without talking to a doctor. That said, you are able to get antibiotics without seeing a doctor in person.
A video or phone call is a great way to get prescribed antibiotics from the comfort of your home if it is felt to be needed. During an online consultation, a doctor can diagnose your infection and determine an appropriate treatment method, including antibiotics if necessary. Your antibiotic prescription will be electronically sent to your local pharmacy for pick up.
Knocking Out A Tooth Is A Medical Emergency If An Adult Tooth Is Knocked Out Try Putting It Back In Place And Go Straight To A Dentist Dont Try To Re
If you knock out an adult a tooth, you should:
- Find the tooth!
- Hold it by the crown not the roots.
- Clean the the tooth if its dirty. If you are in public, your own saliva or tongue will work.
- Put it back into position never try to re-insert a baby tooth.
- Bite on a handkerchief, paper towel or similar material to hold the tooth in place.
- Contact your dentist via phone or their Teledentistry solution.
If you cant put the tooth back its original position, put it in milk and see a dentist straight away. The faster a knocked-out tooth is re-implanted, the more likely it is to embed itself back into the gum.
If your child knocks out a baby tooth, you shouldnt try to re-implant it because you may damage the adult tooth growing underneath. Contact your dentist immediately via phone or their Teledentistry solution.
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How Doctors Are Curbing Antibiotic Overuse
As the people prescribing antibiotics, providers need to be at the center of this effort. Every time we go to write a prescription for an antibiotic, we should ask ourselves if its truly needed. We also cant give in to pressure from patients who demand an antibiotic when we know it wont help them.
Antibiotic stewardship programs have proven to be extremely useful to help us target a particular bacteria with the right antibiotic based on our population. Our infectious disease specialists monitor bacteria and antibiotic resistance patterns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Every community uses antibiotics differently. Because of this, bacteria and antibiotic resistant infections here may differ from those in Los Angeles.
For example, if I treat a patient with a UTI that I know was caused by an E. coli bacteria, I can look up the specific bacteria and see whats called an antibiogram. This tells me which antibiotics are used to treat the bacteria and what percent chance they have of working in the Dallas-Fort Worth population. So if a large number of residents here are resistant to ciprofloxacin, I will choose something else.
This works on two levels: It creates buy-in from the physician and educates the patient even before the doctor enters the room. This study was new to me, but I think this technique is brilliant and plan to use it in our Richardson/Plano clinic!
Teledentistry And Prescription Drugs
At least for the time being, it looks like teledentistry will play a significant role in helping patients get medications. Even after the current state of emergency, receiving medical feedback on non-prescription drugs, or getting prescription refills from a virtual dentist will be invaluable to many. There are undoubtedly many more advancements to come for the telehealth industry as it continues to offer safety plus convenience.
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Do Antibiotics Affect Birth Control
Most antibiotics do not affect birth control, but itâs important to know which antibiotics do interfere with your birth control and to consult with a physician if you are unsure.
To date, the only antibiotic that is known to reduce the effect of birth control pills is rifampin, which is usually prescribed as a treatment for tuberculosis. Rifampin can decrease estrogen levels in your birth control pill, reducing the pillâs ability to suppress ovulation. Aside from rifampin, you should not have any problems taking an antibiotic while on birth control.
Can I Get Antibiotics Via An Online Telehealth Visit
Telehealth has become a preferred method of seeking medical attention for matters that dont require going to the doctors office or even as a precursor to face-to-face meetings. Telehealth facilitates access to medical care through computers and mobile devices, but you may not be aware of all the services you can request through it, like prescriptions for antibiotics.
Online doctors can offer prescriptions for medicine such as antibiotics without the need for an in-person appointment. Patients can obtain antibiotic prescriptions through an online consultation when medically appropriate. A medical provider will observe your symptoms and either prescribe an antibiotic or develop an alternative treatment.
Telehealth is a valuable tool at your disposal, especially if you are looking to reduce in-person appointments or if you live too far from your doctors office. Read on to find out how online doctors can help you and when they can prescribe antibiotics.
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How Does Antibiotic Resistance Occur
Youâve probably heard the term âantibiotic resistanceâ before. It is referring to bacteria that have become immune to certain types of antibiotic treatment due to previous exposure. To avoid antibiotic resistance is it important to complete your prescribed antibiotic treatment to ensure all the bacteria are killed. You should also only take antibiotics when you have a bacterial infection.
The Problems With Traditional Written Medical Prescriptions
Although some common complaints can be treated by off-the-shelf medication, theyre rarely as effective as prescribed drugs. And, with a medical prescription, you are assured that youre always receiving the most appropriate treatment.
The major problems with obtaining a prescription from a traditional doctor are the delay, uncertainty and inconvenience associated with the whole process. You have to:
- book an appointment, which may not be at a time to suit you and may not be soon
- travel to the surgery, which may not be close and can involve a lot of wasted time to get there
- sit in the waiting room with other ill people, risking possible infection from them
- undergo a short consultation
- collect your medication from a pharmacy.
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Telemedicine Overprescribes Antibiotics: Are You Really Receiving The Best Care Over The Phone
Youve seen the ads, and you may have even gotten a flyer in the mail directly from your insurance company. Use an app to make a quick video call to get the medical care you need. No waiting rooms, no appointments, no having to be touched, or even sit in a room with a physician just the magic of the internet, and youll get what you want.
But will you get what you need?
A study published in Pediatrics showed that pediatric remote telehealth visits are far more likely to result in an antibiotic prescription than an in-person visit with a doctor. Researchers looked at a total of about 500,000 visits for acute respiratory symptoms from 2015-2016, matching visits by things like age, medical complexity, location, and the diagnosis. They then looked to see how many of the encounters resulted in an antibiotic prescription, separating out telehealth, urgent care, and primary physician visits. By telemedicine, here, they looked only at direct-to-consumer telemed visits, the kind youve seen advertised by private companies, and promoted by your insurance.
The study found that among all of the visits examined that had a clear-cut diagnostic code, 27% were for a diagnosis that should typically result in an antibiotic prescription. Keep that figure in mind 27% of these encounters, to fit within well-established, evidence-based guidelines, should have had an antibiotic prescribed. The other 73% were for viral infections
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Health Experts Recommend Doctors Examine Patients Seek Testing To Verify Antibiotics Are Necessary
A pharmacist holds a bottle of the antibiotic doxycycline hyclate.
Patients widely received antibiotics with no record of seeing a doctor, a nationwide study found, despite recommendations that doctors physically screen patients to prevent unnecessary prescriptions that could contribute to superbugs.
Researchers from Brigham and Womens Hospital and Northwestern University looked through a decade of medical bills for 53 million people nationwide. They found nearly 83 million antibiotic prescriptions that were filled with no record of an associated doctor visit that could have verified that the antibiotics were necessary. That totaled about 28% of the 300 million antibiotics prescribed to patients, who were enrolled in Medicaid between 2004 and 2013.
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How Do I Know If A Pharmacy Does Home Delivery
Most pharmacies in the ACT offer home delivery services to assist vulnerable people in the community. You can contact your preferred pharmacy to ask if they do home delivery. You can also check the HealthDirect website www.healthdirect.gov.au for this information.
Your pharmacist may wish to contact you to provide advice about your medications. You should also contact them if you have any questions about your medications including side effects or how to take them properly.
