Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters

Lord, protect me from my friends

BMJ 2000; 321 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7253.114 (Published 08 July 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;321:114

Public needs to be educated

  1. Ian Frankel, accident and emergency staff grade
  1. Watford General Hospital, Watford WD1 8HB
  2. 11 Westwood Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-1444, USA
  3. Crossmaglen Health Centre, Crossmaglen, County Armagh BT25 9HD

    EDITOR—I am appalled by Farrell's attitude in his Soundings column.1 I question whether a doctor who prescribes antibiotics for flu for the purpose of “sporting one-upmanship” and “tactical gratification,” in spite of “academically impeccable advice” given by his partner, and for paediatric otitis media to “keep the parents happy” should be prescribing at all, let alone be allowed to air his views in a serious medical journal.

    This sort of attitude is undoing all the work done by those of us trying to educate the public about the difference between viral and bacterial infections and the role of antibiotics …

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