The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a guideline to tackle over-prescribing of antibiotics for people with acute sinusitis.¹ The guideline aims to limit antibiotic use and reduce antimicrobial resistance. In the UK, research has highlighted a high rate of antibiotic prescribing for people with sinusitis.² In 2011, a study of 568 general practices reported that the median practice issued antibiotic prescriptions at 91% of consultations for ‘rhino-sinusitis’.

The key message of the guideline is that antibiotics are not useful in the vast majority of patients with sinusitis.^{1 …}