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Don't call for an antibiotic—It's
an ear infection!
When: May/June 2003
Institute: National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders
NIDCD is addressing growing concerns about the over-prescription
antibiotics for otitis media (ear infection) by convening
an expert panel working group that will develop strategies
to encourage appropriate use of antibiotics. Pediatricians,
otolaryngologists, nursing professionals, audiologists,
basic scientists and communication experts will discuss
strategies for: (1) communicating with parents and caregivers
about appropriate antibiotic use and discouraging "asking
and demanding" behaviors that are contributing to antibiotic
resistance; and (2) aiding physicians and other health professionals
in identifying and discouraging behaviors leading to antibiotic
resistance in the context of scientific evidence. The strategies
developed during this working group will guide an ongoing
NIDCD effort to address this issue.
Invited participants include NIDCD intramural and extramural
staff members as well as representatives from the National
Institute on Nursing Research, American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,
Association of American Indian Physicians, and the Harvard
School of Public Health, among other organizations and institutions.
In addition, some 100 advocacy and constituency groups related
to hearing and hearing loss have been invited to participate,
including the American Academy of Audiology, American Speech-Hearing-Language
Association, and the National Black Association for Speech-Language
and Hearing.
NIDCD will also recruit constituency groups related to
pediatrics and nursing that have been involved in previous
efforts such as preventing noise-induced hearing loss and
early identification of infant hearing loss to help disseminate
important prevention messages. The messages will be disseminated
through these gateway audiences and via exhibits, health
fairs, Web presence, and direct outreach to physician and
nursing publications and organizations.
Next steps:
For additional information, contact Marin P. Allen, Ph.D.,
Communication Director, at marin_allen@nih.gov
or (301) 496-7243 or Lonnie Lisle at lislel@nidcd.nih.gov.
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