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Researchers who looked at 184,000 outpatient visits in 2010-2011 found that about 30% of prescriptions for antibiotics were unnecessary overall, and about half of those written for acute respiratory conditions were not needed. Experts said doctors should focus less on what patients expect and more on what they need. "If we know that an antibiotic is really not likely to make people feel better, we still can provide alternatives for symptom relief that will help people feel better," said Dr. Sara Cosgrove, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.