Safety Net Antibiotic Prescriptions (SNAP)

This is a simple way to offer patients and parents the option of either treating an infection or waiting to see if the infection will resolve on its own.

A patient may be seen with an infection when it is too early to determine if it is a viral infection that will resolve on its own or develop into a bacterial infection that requires antibiotic treatment. A prescription for an antibiotic is written with the instructions to not fill it unless the infection persists or worsens.

This process often creates an opportunity discuss appropriate antibiotic use. Parents and patients like the option of treating without having to come in (and pay for) another visit.

References
Treatment of Otitis Media With Observation and a
Safety-Net Antibiotic Prescription. Pediatrics 2003; Siegel et al. 112 (3): 527.

An evidence based approach to reducing antibiotic use in children with acute otitis media: controlled before and after study. BMJ 1999;318:715-716 (13 March)