Medical practitioners taking closer look at how they use antibiotics

There's been a change of thinking when it comes to antibiotics in the past decade. An increased fear of superbugs — antibiotic resistant bacteria — has medical practitioners revisiting how they use antibiotics.

"We've realized how badly we clinicians have been overprescribing antibiotics over the years," said Dr. Jon Hallberg, of the University of Minnesota.

Hallberg, who has recorded videos on antibiotics with the Minnesota Department of Health, says the overuse of antibiotics has caused several problems.

"We're creating diseases because of the antibiotic use and making people ill with them sometimes. And also creating resistance in a lot of bacteria," Hallberg said. "It gets pretty scary if we've got a bacteria that's no longer responsive to an array of antibiotics. That's a problem."

Hallberg said medical professionals must work on practicing good "antibiotic stewardship."

"We've gotten better at not just instantly writing a prescription for an antibiotic," he said. "We need to do everything we can to not create more superbugs."

To listen to the full segment, click the audio player above.