Chicken soup kits offered by hospital

When adult patients come to ViaHealth of Wayne's emergency departments at Newark-Wayne and Myers Hospitals with symptoms of a viral infection (a cold or the flu), more often than not, they will now leave armed with chicken soup and tissues instead of antibiotics.

The soup and tissues are all part of the new 'Chicken Soup Kits,' which are being dispensed with educational materials, to help patients manage cold/virus symptoms. Besides chicken soup and tissues, the kits contain tea, cough syrup, antihistamine, fever reducer tablets (generic Tylenol) and more.

'We wanted to find a way to cut down on giving prescriptions for antibiotics to patients with viral symptoms,' said John Davis, M.D., medical director at ViaHealth of Wayne.

'There is sufficient documentation to show that the overuse of antibiotics is resulting in strains of bacteria becoming highly resistant to many antibiotics available today. Even though we're cutting back on prescribing antibiotics...we still want to help our patients feel better from symptoms such as a stuffy head, chest congestion, sore throat and fever.'

In addition to the over-the-counter medications, the kit contains a letter from physicians explaining this change in treatment planning and why. The kit also contains information on a study regarding the medicinal benefits of chicken soup, conducted by Stephen I. Rennard, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska.

The kits are currently being given to adult patients but plans are underway to add pediatric kits.

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