Impartiality and infectious disease: Prioritizing individuals versus the collective in antibiotic prescription.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health disaster driven largely by antibiotic use in human health care. Doctors considering whether to prescribe antibiotics face an ethical conflict between upholding individual patient health and advancing public health aims. Existing literature mainly examines whether patients awaiting consultations desire or expect to receive antibiotic prescriptions, but does not report views of the wider public regarding conditions under which doctors should prescribe antibiotics. It also does not explore the ethical significance of public views or their sensitivity to awareness of AMR risks or the standpoint (self-interested or impartial) taken by participants.

Methods

An online survey was conducted with a sample of the U.S.

SUBMITTER: Dao B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6446247 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan-Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature