Medication Errors: Antibiotics

COMMON ED MEDICATION ERRORS: ANTIBIOTICS

emDocs - November 18, 2016 - Authors: Fontes K and Liu O

Edited by: Koyfman A and Long B

"Takeaways…

1. For patients concurrently taking warfarin, ACE inhibitors / ARBs, NSAIDs, or sulfonylureas, avoid use of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), if possible.
2. Consider obtaining a serum procalcitonin level as part of your medical decision making for starting antibiotic therapy (may be more useful for respiratory and urinary tract infections).
3. Consider using shared decision making or implementing patient/parent educational interventions to enhance judicious antibiotic use.
4. Use antibiograms with caution; they may underestimate antimicrobial susceptibility specific to ED patients, in particular those with uncomplicated infections.
5. Harness the power of (and thank on a regular basis) your ED clinical pharmacists!"