A survey of probiotic use practices among patients at a tertiary medical centre

Abstract

Probiotic use has skyrocketed in recent years. Little is known, however, about patient knowledge and practices regarding probiotic use, especially in the context of antibiotic use. An invitation to complete a short, anonymous, electronic survey was sent by email to 965 patients at a tertiary medical centre in California who had agreed to be contacted for participation in research studies. Questions were asked about both probiotic and antibiotic use in the prior three months. Of 333 survey respondents, 55% had recently used probiotics, including food products and/or supplements (90 and 60% of probiotic users, respectively). Women were more likely than men to have used probiotics (odds ratio (OR): 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-3.4). Health care providers (HCP) had prescribed antibiotics to 79 (24%) respondents in the preceding three months. Among antibiotic users, 33% had initiated or changed probiotics at the time of antibiotic use, usually without a recommendation from their prescribing HCP (72%). Only 12% of those who took probiotics with antibiotics had received a specific recommendation from their HCP. Most patients chose to take probiotic mixtures (56%), with few selecting evidence-based strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (11%). Regular probiotic use among patients is common. Typically, these probiotics are not recommended by a HCP, even in conjunction with antibiotic prescriptions. While a growing body of evidence supports specific probiotic strains for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, patients are often not receiving a specific recommendation from their HCP and appear to be taking strains without guidance from supporting evidence.

Strain-Specificity and Disease-Specificity of Probiotic Efficacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The use of probiotics has become increasingly popular across the world and probiotic use in hospitalized patients may reach as high as 55% in admitted patients ( 1 ). Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” ( 2 ), but unfortunately, this definition does not provide any practical guidance when choosing a probiotic.…”

Choosing an appropriate probiotic product for your patient: An evidence-based practical guide

“…The use of probiotics has become increasing popular across the world and surveys report probiotic use ranges from 5% in one general public survey in the United States to 25% in another survey done in New Zealand [1,2]. In one survey of patients at a tertiary medical center in California, as many as 55% of the patients reported probiotic use in the past three months [3]. Probiotics are also being used more frequently in hospitalized patients to prevent infections (2.6% of all hospital visits reported probiotic use) [4].…”

“…Healthcare providers and laypeople are often confused by the wide range of probiotic products available and the high-pitched marketing claims found on many websites [3,6]. Probiotics are marketed for a variety of diseases, ranging from preventing diarrheal diseases to controlling chronic diseases and treating obesity [7,8].…”

“…There has been a seven-fold increase in the number of published articles on probiotics, reaching over 1,400 in 2014 [7]. One survey found only 12% of probiotic users relied on their physician to recommend a probiotic for them [3]. In a survey of 632 physicians, although 61% recommended probiotics, 40% left the choice of the probiotic product up to their patient [6].…”

Clinical and Instrumental Assessment of the Intestinal State in Children with Respiratory Pathology and Correction of the Revealed Violations

“…Їхнє використання набуває все більшої популярності в усьому світі: від 5% в одному з опитувань в США до 25% в іншому дослідженні, проведеному у Новій Зеландії [20,21]. Дослідження, проведене в Каліфорнії у 2017 році, виявило використання пробіотиків за останні 3 міс 55% пацієнтів [22], причому частіше пробіотики використовують у разі стаціонарного лікування порівняно з амбулаторним [23].…”