Background: Acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) is the most
common reason for antibiotic prescription in adults. Antibiotics
are often inappropriately prescribed for patients with ARTI. This
article presents best practices for antibiotic use in healthy adults
(those without chronic lung disease or immunocompromising
conditions) presenting with ARTI.
Methods: A narrative literature review of evidence about appropriate
antibiotic use for ARTI in adults was conducted. The most
recent clinical guidelines from professional societies were complemented
by meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized
clinical trials. To identify evidence-based articles, the
Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were
searched through September 2015 using the following Medical
Subject Headings terms: “acute bronchitis,” “respiratory tract infection,”
“pharyngitis,” “rhinosinusitis,” and “the common cold.”
High-Value Care Advice 1: Clinicians should not perform testing
or initiate antibiotic therapy in patients with bronchitis unless
pneumonia is suspected.
High-Value Care Advice 2: Clinicians should test patients with
symptoms suggestive of group A streptococcal pharyngitis (for
example, persistent fevers, anterior cervical adenitis, and
tonsillopharyngeal exudates or other appropriate combination of
symptoms) by rapid antigen detection test and/or culture for
group A Streptococcus. Clinicians should treat patients with antibiotics
only if they have confirmed streptococcal pharyngitis.
High-Value Care Advice 3: Clinicians should reserve antibiotic
treatment for acute rhinosinusitis for patients with persistent
symptoms for more than 10 days, onset of severe symptoms or
signs of high fever (>39 °C) and purulent nasal discharge or facial
pain lasting for at least 3 consecutive days, or onset of worsening
symptoms following a typical viral illness that lasted 5 days that
was initially improving (double sickening).
High-Value Care Advice 4: Clinicians should not prescribe
antibiotics for patients with the common cold.