Antibiotics

Commonly used antibiotics: amoxicillin, amox/clav, pip/tazo, penicillin, vancomycin, daptomycin, meropenem, ertapenem, cephalexin, cefuroxime, cefprozil, cefpodoxime, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, erythromycin, minocycline, doxycycline, TMP/SMX

Objectives

1. In patients requiring antibiotic therapy, make rational choices (i.e., first-line therapies, knowledge of local resistance patterns, patient’s medical and drug history, patient’s context).
2. In patients with a clinical presentation suggestive of a viral infection, avoid prescribing antibiotics.
3. In a patient with a purported antibiotic allergy, rule out other causes (e.g., intolerance to side effects, non-allergic rash) before accepting the diagnosis.
4. Use a selective approach in ordering cultures before initiating antibiotic therapy (usually not in uncomplicated cellulitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and abscesses; usually for assessing community resistance patterns, in patients with systemic symptoms, and in immunocompromised patients).
5. In urgent situations (e.g., cases of meningitis, septic shock, febrile neutropenia), do not delay administration of antibiotic therapy (i.e., do not wait for confirmation of the diagnosis).