A University of Utah study found that 26.7% of parents knowingly lied about their child’s symptoms to get an antibiotics prescription for three reasons.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, surveyed 236 parents across the country. Researchers asked parents if they had lied about their child’s symptoms and why.
More than one quarter of parents said they misrepresented their child’s symptoms to obtain antibiotics at least once. Of those, 24.2% reported exaggerating, 23.6% making up symptoms, and 19.1% reported doing both.
When asked why, 71.4% of parents reported lying because they believed antibiotics were the only thing that would help their sick child, 66.7% said they believe antibiotics would help their child return to school or extracurricular activities faster and 63.5% said they thought they knew their child’s medical history better than their clinician.
About 80% of caregivers who misrepresented symptoms said their child received an antibiotic, and most believed the misrepresentation was why.
A companion study by the same researchers found 28% of adults had misrepresented their own symptoms to get antibiotics. People who had previously had symptoms dismissed by a clinician were more likely to overstate them, the researchers said.
“Now that we have a clearer picture of how common these behaviors are and the reasons behind them, the next step is to look at strategies that help patients express their preferences and communicate what they’re feeling to their provider, and for their provider to hear them, understand their concerns, and reassure them,” lead author Alistair Thorpe, PhD, research assistant professor of population health sciences at University of Utah Health, said in an Oct. 30 news release.
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