Development of Minimum Criteria for the Initiation of Antibiotics in Residents of Long‐Term–Care Facilities: Results of a Consensus Conference

Establishing a clinical diagnosis of infection in residents of long‐term–care facilities (LTCFs) is difficult. As a result, deciding when to initiate antibiotics can be particularly challenging. This article describes the establishment of minimum criteria for the initiation of antibiotics in residen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2001-02, Vol.22 (2), p.120-124
Main Authors:	Loeb, Mark, Bentley, David W., Bradley, Suzanne, Crossley, Kent, Garibaldi, Richard, Gantz, Nelson, McGeer, Allison, Muder, Robert R., Mylotte, Joseph, Nicolle, Lindsay E., Nurse, Brenda, Paton, Shirley, Simor, Andrew E., Smith, Philip, Strausbaugh, Larry
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Aged Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use Antibiotics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) Communicable Diseases - drug therapy Cough Drug Resistance, Microbial Drug Utilization - standards Epidemiology Faucets Fever Fever - drug therapy Hospitals, Chronic Disease - standards Hospitals, Veterans - standards Humans Infections Intensive care units Nursing Nursing homes Nursing Homes - standards Older adults Practice Guidelines as Topic Residential Facilities - standards Respiratory Tract Infections - drug therapy Skin Diseases, Infectious - drug therapy Symptoms Topics in Long‐Term Care United States Urinary Tract Infections - drug therapy
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Summary:	Establishing a clinical diagnosis of infection in residents of long‐term–care facilities (LTCFs) is difficult. As a result, deciding when to initiate antibiotics can be particularly challenging. This article describes the establishment of minimum criteria for the initiation of antibiotics in residents of LTCFs. Experts in this area were invited to participate in a consensus conference. Using a modified delphi approach, a questionnaire and selected relevant articles were sent to participants who were asked to rank individual signs and symptoms with respect to their relative importance. Using the results of the weighting by participants, a modification of the nominal group process was used to achieve consensus. Criteria for initiating antibiotics for skin and soft‐tissue infections, respiratory infections, urinary infections, and fever where the focus of infection is unknown were developed.
ISSN:	0899-823X 1559-6834