HC Reform Update by Mark Sanna: 80 out of 100 children with ear infections will get better on their own in about three days, according to a review of 135 previously published studies in today's Journal of the AMA. Prescribing antibiotics improves that cure rate only slightly, to 92 of 100 children, the review says. The benefits of antibiotics seem even smaller in light of their side effects: 3-10 children will develop a medication-related rash; 5-10 more will get diarrhea.