Dr. Nguyen is a physician who works at the Urgent Care Plus center. One evening, he sees a patient, Clarissa age 40, who complains of a runny nose and cough. Upon examination, Dr. Nguyen determines that Clarissa has the common cold, which is viral in nature. Dr. Nguyen assures Clarissa that her immune system will take care of the virus and that she can use OTC meds for symptoms. Clarissa becomes very upset and demands a prescription for antibiotics. stating that she is certain that she has bronchitis and will die without them. She also tells Dr. Nguyen that she will file a formal complaint if he does not prescribe her an antibiotic. Dr. Nguyen writes her a prescription for Amoxicillin, thinking that it is easier to just write the prescription than it is to deal with an angry patient. 1. Do you think that Dr. Nguyen made the right decision? Explain your answer. 2. What would you do in a similar situation? 3. Do physicians (and PAs and NPs) have an ethical obligation to try to prevent antibiotic overuse? Why?
