Shorter Antibiotic Courses Found Effective, Challenging Long-Standing Medical Advice
A review of over 120 randomized controlled trials has revealed that shorter courses of antibiotics for common infections can be as effective and safer than longer courses, while also being no more likely to promote antibiotic resistance. This finding challenges the long-held medical advice, prevalent since the 1940s, that patients must always complete their full course of antibiotics. Experts, including population health researcher Alistair Thorpe of the University of Utah, indicate that unnecessary prolonged exposure to antibiotics might actually contribute to the problem of antibiotic resistance. The study, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, surveyed 1,475 U.S. respondents, finding that a majority (892) preferred longer courses, often due to prior medical advice and a belief that longer treatments are inherently better. However, many respondents (58.4 percent) expressed comfort with the idea of stopping antibiotics when feeling better, if advised by their clinician. 
