Reducing Prescriptions with Acute Otitis Media

An earache. A fussy toddler. A worried parent. And often, a familiar prescription: antibiotics. Acute otitis media is one of the most common reasons children receive antibiotics. But as we continue to better understand when antibiotics truly make a difference — and when children may do just as well without them — there’s an opportunity to rethink what appropriate treatment looks like. So how can pediatricians confidently reduce unnecessary prescribing while still treating pain, addressing parents’ concerns, and making sure the children who do need antibiotics get them? We’ll answer that in this episode. 

To dive into this ever-evolving topic, we are joined by two experts. Nicole Poole, MD, specializes in infectious diseases at Children’s Colorado, serves as the Associate Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and leads the Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Program. She is also an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Holly Frost, MD is a pediatrician at Intermountain Health and also serves as Enterprise Associate Chief Medical Officer, Professor of Research at Intermountain and faculty in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah. 

In this episode, our experts discuss: 

• Consequences of prescribing antibiotics when not necessary 
• How it impacts pediatrics on a larger scale beyond an individual patient 
• Common pitfalls pediatricians encounter when diagnosing AOM 
• The importance of addressing pain and ways to do that aside from prescribing antibiotics