RESEARCHERS in Southampton believe they have found a way to help in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

A study led by the University of Southampton has found that doctors who have Internet-based training reduce their antibiotic prescribing rate by a massive 62 per cent.

This is of major importance because the more a patient has antibiotics, the more likely their body will build resistance to them, putting them at risk of suffering from a serious infection that is no longer treatable.

So researchers are on a mission to help medics reduce the number of antibiotics they prescribe and lower the risk of illnesses becoming untreatable.

Paul Little, professor of primary care research at the University of Southampton, said: “The high volume of prescribing antibiotics in primary care is a major driver of antibiotic resistance, which is one of the great public health dangers of our time, and raises the real prospect of serious infections becoming untreatable.

“Training has been shown to have a positive effect on lowering prescription rates but the way training has been delivered and its reliance on highly trained staff around centres of excellence severely limits the impact in everyday practice.

“Novel techniques are therefore needed to lead changes at a national and international level.

“Internet training has the advantage that it can be disseminated widely at a low cost and does not need much resource.”

The study revealed that doctors who received Internet-based training in carrying out a test for pneumonia, rather than just prescribing antibiotics, and enhanced communication skills slashed their prescribing rate by 62 per cent.