New research suggests that many patients don't understand the risk of the unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics, which is a major factor driving one of the biggest public health concerns today: antibiotic resistance.

Based on their findings, researchers from George Washington, Cornell and John Hopkins universities suggest that public health educational materials may not address the misconceptions that shape why patients expect antibiotics, driving doctors to prescribe them more.

"Patients figure that taking antibiotics can't hurt, and just might make them improve. When they come in for treatment, they are usually feeling pretty bad and looking for anything that will make them feel better. These patients might know that there is, in theory, a risk of side effects when taking antibiotics, but they interpret that risk as essentially nil," researcher David Broniatowski said in a statement.

For the study, researchers surveyed more than 100 patients in an urban hospital to test their understanding of antibiotics. They discovered a widespread misconception: patients may want antibiotics, even if they know that, if they have a viral infection, the drugs will not make them better. 

These patients believe that taking the medication will not worsen their condition -- and that the risk of taking unnecessary antibiotics does not weight the possibility that they may help.

Contrary to these beliefs, there are risks associated with taking unnecessary antibiotics, such as secondary infections and allergic reactions.

"More than half of the patients we surveyed already knew that antibiotics don't work against viruses, but they still agreed with taking antibiotics just in case," Broniatowski said. "We need to fight fire with fire. If patients think that antibiotics can't hurt, we can't just focus on telling them that they probably have a virus. We need to let them know that antibiotics can have some pretty bad side effects, and that they will definitely not help cure a viral infection."

Based on the findings, researchers conclude that most educational tools used to communicate the dangers of taking unnecessary antibiotics focus on the differences between bacteria and viruses -- the idea that "germs are germs" -- but do not address patients' widespread "why not take a risk" belief. 

The findings are detailed in the Medical Decision Making.