Improving Compliance With Antibiotic Regimens for Otitis Media

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Abstract
The prescription of an antibiotic for an acute infection is the most frequent medical treatment provided by pediatricians.1Most parents purchase the prescribed medicine, but many of their children do not receive the complete antibiotic course.2Acute otitis media, one of the most common diagnoses made by pediatricians, accounts for a significant portion of antibiotic prescriptions. About 70% of children have had at least one episode of acute otitis media by the age of 3 years, and about 33% of these children have had three or more episodes.3 After ten days of antibiotic therapy for acute otitis media, approximately 50% of children have persistent otitis media,4,5and the benefits of antibiotic therapy may not differ from symptomatic treatment with analgesics and decongestants.6,7However, the incidence of suppurative complications from otitis media has dramatically decreased since antibiotic therapy has become standard pediatric practice.8A conservative