Antibiotic-related visits on Your Doctors Online jump 70% in winter

Your Doctors Online says antibiotic-related consultations on its Canadian virtual care platform rise 70% from summer to winter, peaking in December as cold and flu season drives demand. The five-year analysis lands as Canada intensifies antimicrobial stewardship efforts amid concern over resistance.

Why it matters: - Antibiotic-related consultations rise when respiratory illness spikes, adding pressure to virtual care services during the busiest part of the year. - The trend matters because unnecessary antibiotic use can worsen antimicrobial resistance, a public health issue Canada is trying to curb. - The findings also suggest virtual visits are becoming a key front door for patients seeking quick guidance on whether symptoms need antibiotics.

What happened: - Your Doctors Online analyzed five years of de-identified Canadian consultation data from August 2021 through July 2026. - Antibiotic-related consultations climbed 70% from the summer low to the winter peak. - December was the peak month, with 4.6% of all consultations involving antibiotics. - August was the low month, with 2.7% of consultations involving antibiotics. - The December-to-August spread was the largest month-to-month gap in the dataset. - The company said the analysis covered more than 320,000 Canadian patient consultations.

The details: - Antibiotic-related consultations included visits where a patient discussed, requested or was assessed for antibiotic treatment. - During October through March, 3.65% of consultations involved antibiotics. - During the rest of the year, 2.83% of consultations involved antibiotics. - That six-month seasonal difference equals a 29% relative increase. - Patients 65 and older were 67% more likely than patients ages 18 to 34 to have an antibiotic-related consultation, at 4.6% versus 2.8%. - Women had a 33% higher rate than men, at 3.7% versus 2.8%. - The release linked the higher rate among women to the prevalence of urinary tract infections, a common reason patients seek treatment. - The analysis reflects Your Doctors Online’s own patient population and is not a representative sample of all Canadians. - The data measures rates as a share of consultations in each group, not raw volumes, to account for changes in patient volume over time. - The consultation count is not the same as confirmed antibiotic prescribing, because not every antibiotic-related visit leads to a prescription.

Between the lines: - The timing lines up with federal, provincial and territorial efforts under the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. - New national antibiotic prescribing guidance for common infections is also rolling out to clinicians across Canada. - The pattern points to a seasonal demand spike where patients may want fast answers before they can access in-person care. - The data also underscores how virtual care can help steer patients away from antibiotics when symptoms are more likely viral. - A virtual visit can still require the same clinical judgment as an in-person appointment, especially when demand is highest.

What’s next: - Public health and prescribing guidance efforts are likely to keep pushing clinicians and patients toward more selective antibiotic use. - Your Doctors Online is likely to keep seeing winter pressure as cold and flu season returns each year. - The broader policy challenge remains reducing unnecessary antibiotic use while still treating infections appropriately.

The bottom line: - Winter drives a clear surge in antibiotic-related virtual visits, and that makes online care a growing part of Canada’s antimicrobial stewardship response.