Antibiotic Prescribing for Cough and Symptoms of Respiratory Tract Infection: Do the Right Thing

Cough is the third most common reason that patients present to physicians for care and was responsible for 3.2% of all outpatient visits in the United States in 2002.¹ Of these visits, more than 30 million were made for a chief complaint of cough, at least 10 million of which were made by otherwise healthy adults diagnosed with acute bronchitis; most of these patients received an antibiotic prescription, often for a broad-spectrum macrolide or quinolone costing US $50 to $100.^1-4