Many PCPs Prescribe Antibiotics for Pneumonia Even With Negative Chest X-Ray
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 -- Many general practitioners prescribe antibiotics for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) even when chest radiograph (CR) results are negative, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Juliette Pinot, M.D., from the Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and colleagues analyzed antibiotic initiation by general practitioners for patients with suspected CAP according to CR. The analysis included 259 patients.
The researchers found that 55.6 percent had a positive CR. Higher clinical severity was seen in patients with positive versus negative CR, with longer-lasting symptoms. Antibiotics were initiated for 99.3 percent of patients with positive CR and 68.7 percent with negative CR. Among the 115 CR-negative patients, there were no clinically relevant characteristics that were significantly different between those for whom antibiotics were and were not initiated.
"For patients with suspected CAP, general practitioners systematically took into account results of positive CRs to initiate antibiotics and took much less account of negative CRs," the authors write. "These results justify clarification of what should be done in cases of clinical suspicion of CAP without radiologic confirmation."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Screening Colonoscopy IDs Similar Rates of CRC for 45 to 49 as 50 to 54 Years
TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 -- Rates of colorectal cancer detection through colonoscopy screening are similar for adults aged 45 to 49 years and 50 to 54 years, according to a research...
Systemic Social Factors May Increase the Risk of Psychotic Experiences
TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 -- Experiences with discrimination may increase the risk of psychotic experiences among marginalized young adults, according to a study published online May...
New Classification System Accurate for Nasal Deformities in Cleft Lip and Palate
TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 -- A new classification system seems to be highly accurate for evaluating nasal deformities in infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP), according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.