Despite growing concern over antibiotic resistance, global antibiotic use continues to rise.1 Outpatients in the United States used more than 30 million antibiotics for acute respiratory infections in 2010,2 yet those prescriptions offered minimal or no benefits for most patients.3 Since antibiotic use drives the development of antibiotic resistance, simple and effective interventions to curb antibiotic use and slow the development of resistance are urgently needed. A delayed prescription strategy is an intervention that may offer an acceptable compromise between immediate and no antibiotic prescription.