London: Doctors who try to help prevent the spread of super-resistant bacteria by prescribing fewer antibiotics are likely to experience a drop in satisfaction ratings with patients, according to a new study.

The findings show that a 25 per cent lower rate of antibiotic prescribing by a general practitioner corresponded to a 5-6 point reduction on General Practice (GP) satisfaction rankings.

The study by researchers at the King’s College London analysed records from the 7,800 general practices. “Many patients come in asking for antibiotics when they have viral infections but antibiotics cannot treat viruses,” said Mark Ashworth from the King's Division of Health and Social Care Research in London.