More than 70 percent of patients treated for community-acquired pneumonia are treated with too many antibiotics, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease.
For the study, researchers analyzed records on more than 150,000 patients treated for community-acquired pneumonia from 2012 to 2013. The average length of antibiotic therapy was just under 10 days — nearly three days longer than recommended treatment durations established by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society in 2007.
"Better adherence to recommended duration of therapy for CAP by improving prescribing at hospital discharge may be an important target for antibiotic stewardship programs," concluded the study's authors.
More articles on infection control:
IDSA designates 2 facilities as Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence
HIV patients more likely to experience concurrent heart and kidney disease
WHO: Stop giving healthy farm animals antibiotics