Dealing with explicit patient demands for antibiotics in a clinical setting

Abstract

This chapter is a conversation analytic single-case study of a video-recorded general practice consultation. This consultation represents a case where a patient, uninformed about appropriate use of antibiotics, puts a doctor under substantial pressure to prescribe penicillin by requesting it explicitly as the reason for his visit. Yet, the doctor exploits conversational structures in ways that enable her to turn the situation into one where the patient is properly diagnosed and explained the difference between viral and bacterial infections and the risks of unnecessary use of antibiotics. Thus, the study informs of how doctors can deal with demanding patients.