ABSTRACT
This chapter considers recommendations for judicious antibiotic use for respiratory tract infections (RTI), reviews guidelines for specific infections, and reviews their impact on outcome. Antibiotic overuse and inappropriate antibiotic selection have been associated with increased drug resistance among several respiratory pathogens—most notably S. pneumoniae, the most common bacterial pathogen in RTI. The use of clinical practice guidelines may be an effective means of changing behavior, such as promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics. Effective clinical guidelines should improve patient care while enhancing cost savings. Acute otitis media (AOM) treatment recommendations have been developed in the context of increasing levels of drug-resistant bacteria and selecting the appropriate antibiotic agents. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for AOM, the guidelines issued by the Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership recommend empiric choices for treating acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. The primary use of antibiotics in pharyngitis is to treat infection due to group A streptococcus.
