Over a quarter of US adults admit lying to get antibiotics, studies find

More than 25% of people surveyed admitted lying to a clinician at least once to get antibiotics for themselves or a child, according to two studies published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers led by the University of Utah's Alistair Thorpe analysed data from over 1,000 US adults. Most faked or exaggerated cold-like symptoms such as fever, which antibiotics do not treat.