When a patient comes down with a nasty cold or the flu, they often turn to their healthcare providers for answers. However, a large review of 131 studies across 43 countries shows that even those training to be medical professionals may not have a clear understanding of how antibiotics work. While many students knew that antibiotics treat bacterial infections, far fewer were certain about what these drugs can and cannot do when it comes to viruses.
Specifically, only about 58% of the surveyed healthcare students correctly understood that antibiotics are ineffective against colds and flu. Even more concerning is the gap in knowing whether these drugs actually speed up recovery from viral illnesses. While nearly 98% of students in North America knew antibiotics do not speed up recovery from colds or flu, that number dropped significantly to about 41% in South Asia.
This lack of clear knowledge is a concern because using antibiotics when they are not needed can lead to drug resistance. This makes it harder for doctors to treat serious bacterial infections later on. Because this study measured what students knew rather than how patients actually behave, we cannot say for certain how often these misunderstandings happen in real clinics.
