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Antibiotics and Game Theory

https://theconversation.com/antibiotics-why-asking-doctors-to-prescribe-fewer-is-futile-115886

Antibiotics have been used for many years to help alleviate bacterial infections. This article discusses the increasing problem of over-prescribing antibiotics in today’s society. Excessive use of antibiotics leads to the occurrence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance causes antibiotics to become ineffective because a single bacterium could be immune and then multiply despite the presence of the drug. As a result, antibiotics should only be prescribed when completely necessary; however, this is not always the case. This is where game theory comes in.

In terms of game theory, this is an example of the Prisoner’s dilemma. Prisoner’s dilemma uses the example of two suspects being interrogated separately. Each suspect is told that if they confess, but the other suspect does not, then they will be set free while their partner is charged with robbery and sent to prison for 10 years. On the other hand, if both suspects confess then both of them will be charged with robbery and sentenced to 4 years in prison. Lastly, if neither suspect confesses then both will be charged for resisting arrest and sentenced to 1 year in prison. Each suspect knows that their partner is being offered the exact same deal.

The prisoner’s dilemma in the context of over-prescribing antibiotics relates the two suspects to the doctor and their patient. Both the patient and the doctor know that there is an outcome (where the antibiotic is not prescribed) that is better for both of them; however, the short-term benefits, in the minds of the patient and doctor, outweighs the serious, long-term, and negative consequences of using the antibiotics for minor cases. The best response in this situation is to not prescribe the antibiotics because it will help combat antibiotic resistance. Currently, there is always a positive payoff to prescribing antibiotics because the doctor satisfies their patient and the patient’s symptoms can be temporarily alleviated. Therefore, it is important that the payoff of prescribing antibiotics is negative in order to stop these prescriptions.  The article mentions monitoring prescriptions and removing incentives for prescribing antibiotics as ways to address this issue. If we do not, eventually everyone will be immune to antibiotics and this has very serious implications that would be difficult to overcome.

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