Skip to main content

Many PCPs Prescribe Antibiotics for Pneumonia Even With Negative Chest X-Ray

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 4, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 -- Many general practitioners prescribe antibiotics for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) even when chest radiograph (CR) results are negative, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Juliette Pinot, M.D., from the Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and colleagues analyzed antibiotic initiation by general practitioners for patients with suspected CAP according to CR. The analysis included 259 patients.

The researchers found that 55.6 percent had a positive CR. Higher clinical severity was seen in patients with positive versus negative CR, with longer-lasting symptoms. Antibiotics were initiated for 99.3 percent of patients with positive CR and 68.7 percent with negative CR. Among the 115 CR-negative patients, there were no clinically relevant characteristics that were significantly different between those for whom antibiotics were and were not initiated.

"For patients with suspected CAP, general practitioners systematically took into account results of positive CRs to initiate antibiotics and took much less account of negative CRs," the authors write. "These results justify clarification of what should be done in cases of clinical suspicion of CAP without radiologic confirmation."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted December 2024

Read this next

DDW: Systematic Program Increases Likelihood of Up-to-Date Colorectal Cancer Screening

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- A systematic program of monitoring colorectal cancer (CRC) screening status increases up-to-date screening status, according to a study presented at the...

Medical Debt Tied to Higher Likelihood of Forgone Mental Health Care

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- More than one in seven adults reported carrying medical debt in 2023, and of these, one in three forwent mental health care in the subsequent year...

Faster Walking Pace Cuts Risk for Cardiac Arrhythmias

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- Average and brisk walking pace are associated with a decreased risk for cardiac arrhythmias, according to a study published online April 15 in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.