Antibiotic stewardship in direct-to-consumer telemedicine: translating interventions into the virtual realm

Abstract

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine is an increasingly popular modality for delivery of medical care via a virtual platform. As most DTC telemedicine visits focus on infection-related complaints, there is growing concern about the magnitude of antibiotic use associated with this setting. However, there is limited scholarship regarding adapting and implementing antibiotic stewardship principles in this setting as most efforts have been focused on hospitals with more recent work in long-term care facilities and primary care settings. We discuss utilizing the core elements for outpatient antibiotic stewardship as a framework for DTC antibiotic stewardship efforts moving forward.