Study Finds Misconceptions Drive Antibiotic Overuse in India

A new study suggests that the overprescription of antibiotics in India may be driven more by healthcare practitioners’ beliefs that “patients want antibiotics” rather than by profit motives or lack of education.

Conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California, the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and New Delhi-based NEERMAN, the study also found that patients do not actually prefer doctors who prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily.

Published in Science Advances, the findings highlight a critical gap in understanding between healthcare providers and patients. Researchers argue that addressing these misconceptions could play a key role in reducing the overuse of antibiotics, a major public health concern in low- and middle-income countries.

Antibiotic overuse contributes to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), making infections harder to treat and increasing healthcare costs. The study recommends targeted interventions to align healthcare providers’ perceptions with actual patient preferences to promote rational use of antibiotics.