Nearly 30% of US Adults Report Misrepresenting Symptoms to Obtain Antibiotics, Survey Reveals

A national survey published in JAMA Network Open indicates that 27.9% of US adults have exaggerated or fabricated symptoms to a clinician to get antibiotics, most frequently for cold-like symptoms. Among those who misrepresented symptoms, 76.9% reported successfully obtaining antibiotics this way at least once. This practice has significant implications for outpatient antibiotic stewardship and contributes to antimicrobial resistance.