17
Oct
Antibiotic resistance a cause for worry
Dr. Arie S. Friedman, who was named a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated general general pediatrician in Libertyville, is the first person a family sees when their child gets sick, so Dr. Friedman says that developing a rapport with families is critical to success.
"People look to us for advice on discipline, safety and even general parenting questions," Dr. Friedman says. "The rapport that we develop is really critical to our success. An excellent pediatrician must be able to relate to people to excel at his or her job or else they're just being an average doctor."
"Our job as Pediatricians, by and large, is to take care of the child, make sure they grow properly and that their needs are addressed."
Dr. Friedman, a 1998 graduate of the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago who served his residency at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital, says that pediatricians, in addition to interpersonal skills, need to stay current on medical management to prevent such childhood dangers as antibiotic resistance.
Dr. Friedman works hard to continually update his medical knowledge and serves as an Instructor of Clinical Pediatrics at Condell Medical Center, Highland Park Hospital, Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Lutheran General Hospital and Lake Forest Hospital.
"I work very hard to stay as current as possible on what a lot of people think of as just sore throats or stuffy noses," Dr. Friedman says. "There's a lot of research going on in that field, including how to avoid antibiotic resistance, which results from simply administering antibiotics when someone shows symptoms of illness."
Antibiotics that are incorrectly prescribed to fight bacteria they cannot kill can cause an infection to last longer, potentially making the infection worse and requiring a hospital visit for stronger antibiotics given intravenously.
This situation can also lead family members or people the children associate with frequently to contract the resistant bacteria and develop similar infections that are hard to treat.
"The difference has been well demonstrated that the appropriate use of antibiotics versus the overuse can affect health," Dr. Friedman says. "Clinics within the same community can have different rates of success if one doctor is just handing out antibiotics anytime anyone comes in sick, even with something viral. Patients treated that way have a much higher rate of susceptibility to more different infections down the road. Pediatricians need to exercise restraint and judiciously use antibiotics when appropriate."
Dr. Arie S. Friedman, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered to be best in general pediatric care in Chicago. He specializes in asthma, cerebral palsy and autism. He practices in Lincolnshire, IL.
