Basic Principals - Antibiotics

What are antibiotics used to treat?

• Viral infections

• Fungal infections

• Bacterial infections

• Parasitic infections

Before beginning antibiotic therapy, what should ideally be done to the suspected areas of infection?

• Start antibiotics immediately

• Culture the areas to identify the causative organism and potential antibiotic susceptibilities

• Ignore the infection

• Prescribe painkillers only

Empiric treatment is given until ______ results are back (Usually 48-72 hrs.).

• culture

• biopsy

• x-ray

• CBC

What does 'culture and sensitivity' determine?

• The patient's age

• Which bacteria and which medication

• The duration of illness

• The cost of treatment

Fill in the blank: ________ is the treatment of an infection before specific culture information has been reported or obtained.

• Empiric therapy

• Definitive therapy

• Prophylactic therapy

• Supportive therapy

Fill in the blank: ________ is antibiotic therapy tailored to treat organism identified with cultures (narrow spectrum).

• Definitive therapy

• Empiric therapy

• Prophylactic therapy

• Adjunctive therapy

Fill in the blank: ________ is the treatment with antibiotics to prevent an infection, as in intraabdominal surgery or after trauma.

• Prophylactic therapy

• Curative therapy

• Palliative therapy

• Supportive therapy

Which of the following describes a therapeutic response to antibiotic therapy?

• Signs and symptoms of infection do not improve

• Decrease in specific signs and symptoms of infection are noted (fever, elevated WBC, redness, inflammation, drainage, pain)

• Treatment before specific culture information is obtained

• Treatment to prevent an infection

Fill in the blank: ________ is when signs and symptoms of infection do not improve after antibiotic therapy.

• Subtherapeutic response

• Allergic reaction

• Therapeutic response

• Toxicity

How can we prevent antibiotic resistance?

• Stop over-prescribing antibiotics

• Use aseptic technique

• Prescribe specific medications as opposed to broad-spectrum ones

• All of the above