Guidelines for treating acute otitis media
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* Roger A.M.J. Damoiseaux

It is not a matter of misquoting, but it may be selective quoting. Dave Davis is correct that the GAC “guideline note”1 mentions the overuse of antibiotics for acute otitis media. But the recommendations themselves2 advise that symptomatic patients be treated with antibiotics; only for asymptomatic patients can antibiotics be deferred. My plea3 was to be even more restrictive.

## Footnotes

*   *Competing interests:* None declared.

## References

1.  1. Otitis media: antibiotic therapy. Guideline notes. Toronto: Guidelines Advisory Committee; updated 2005 Mar 31. Available: [http://gacguidelines.ca/article.pl?sid=02/07/03/2017236](http://gacguidelines.ca/article.pl?sid=02/07/03/2017236) (accessed 2005 Jun 21).
    
    

2.  2. Linsk R, Blackwood A, Cooke J, Harrison V, Lesperance M, Hildebrandt HM. University of Michigan Health System. Guidelines for clinical care. Otitis media. Ann Arbor (MI): Regents of the University of Michigan; updated 2002 May. Available: [http://cme.med.umich.edu/pdf/guideline/om.pdf](http://cme.med.umich.edu/pdf/guideline/om.pdf) (accessed 2005 Jun 21).
    
    

3.  3. Damoiseaux RAMJ. Antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media: time to think again [commentary]. CMAJ 2005;172(5):657-8.
    
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