Antibiotic Stewardship Strategies to Minimize Antibiotic Resistance While Maximizing Antibiotic Effectiveness

Empiric therapy of the septic patient in the hospital is challenging. Antibiotic stewardship is concerned with optimizing antibiotic use and minimizing resistance. Clinicians should avoid overcovering and over treating colonizing organisms in respiratory secretions and urinary catheters. Empiric therapy should take into account the prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms in the hospital setting. The most effective resistance prevention strategy is to preferentially select a low resistance potential antibiotic, which should be administered in the highest possible dose without toxicity for the shortest duration to eliminate the infection.