I Never Get Better Without an Antibiotic: Antibiotic Appeals and How to Respond

A physician is seeing an urgent care patient at his large group practice, a 40-year-old lawyer with symptoms of a sinus infection. She does not meet guideline criteria for antibiotic prescribing. Upon being told a prescription is unnecessary, she protests. “Whenever I have this I always get an antibiotic from my doctor. I never get better without it.” The physician remains firm in his decision, but the interaction is tense. The patient says, “[W]hy did I bother to come in then? I’m just going to go somewhere else,” and leaves, visibly irritated.