ABSTRACT
Anti-microbial drugs are the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. The Oral Antibiotic Drug Release Form and the recommendations for its use were designed to discourage the inappropriate use of antibiotics and to promote the appropriate use of these often valuable agents. An evaluation of restricted antibiotic usage is then conducted by the committee with the focus on maximizing "rational drug therapy". In certain cases, discussions between prescribing physicians and members of the committee may then take place to further clarify the drug usage. The restricted Oral Antibiotic Control Program has proved a viable and facile means of attaining rational and justifiable utilization of newer anti-microbial agents. Antibiotics make up a major portion of the medications prescribed in the emergency room. A moonlighting practitioner may prescribe an antibiotic on a particularly busy night without the aid of laboratory test results and without consulting the patient's chart.
