Short-course antibiotic therapy: The next frontier in antimicrobial stewardship

Abstract

Ensuring appropriate use of antibiotics is critical to preserving their effectiveness through limiting the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Evidence is accumulating that shorter courses of antibiotics are as effective as traditional longer regimens for many common infections and can reduce the risk of adverse events. Despite the availability of evidence and guidelines supporting short-course antibiotic therapy for these conditions, prolonged use of antibiotics remains common. This article will review the origins and evolution of our approach regarding antimicrobial prescription duration, the evidence for the use of short-course therapy for selected infections, barriers to the uptake of this practice and potential approaches that can be taken to reduce inappropriately long antibiotic use.