Principles of Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Treatment of Nonspecific Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults
Authors: V Snow, C Mottur-Pilson, R Gonzales
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2001)

Position Papers20 March 2001Principles of Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Treatment of Nonspecific Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in AdultsVincenza Snow, MD, Christel Mottur-Pilson, PhD, and Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, for the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine*Vincenza Snow, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Christel Mottur-Pilson, PhDSearch for more papers by this author, and Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPHSearch for more papers by this author, for the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine*Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-134-6-200103200-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The number of antibiotic-resistant organisms has increased in the past decade. The causes for this phenomenon include widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture, increased use of antibiotics in pediatric patients, and excessive use of antibiotics in adults. The majority of antibiotics prescribed to adults seen in U.S. ambulatory practice are for acute respiratory tract infections, in particular acute sinusitis; acute pharyngitis; acute bronchitis; and nonspecific upper respiratory tract infections, including the common cold. Because decreasing community use of antibiotics is an important strategy for combating the increase in community-acquired antibiotic-resistant infections, the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: *This paper, written by Vincenza Snow, MD, Christel Mottur-Pilson, PhD, and Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, was developed for the Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee: David C. Dale, MD (Chair); Patricia P. Barry, MD; William E. Golden, MD; Robert D. McCartney, MD; Keith W. Michl, MD; Allan R. Ronald, MD; Sean R. Tunis, MD; Kevin B. Weiss, MD; and Preston L. Winters, MD. Approved by the Board of Regents on 16 July 2000.Annals of Internal Medicine encourages readers to copy and distribute this paper, providing such distribution is not for profit. Commercial distribution is not permitted without the express permission of the publisher.Note: Clinical practice guidelines are “guides” only and may not apply to all patients and all clinical situations. Thus, they are not intended to override clinician judgment. All clinical practice guidelines from the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine are considered automatically withdrawn or invalid 5 years after publication or once an update has been issued.Corresponding Author: Customer Service, American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Snow and Mottur-Pilson: Department of Scientific Policy, Education Division, American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Dr. Gonzales: Division of General Internal Medicine, Campus Box B-180, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPrinciples of Judicious Antibiotic Use: Acute Rhinosinusitis James R. Johnson Principles of Judicious Antibiotic Use: Nonspecific Upper Respiratory Tract Infections James R. 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Review of interventions and auditLooking Forward at AnnalsHarold Sox, MD, Editor 20 March 2001Volume 134, Issue 6Page: 487-489KeywordsAntibiotic resistanceAntibioticsBacterial pneumoniaBronchitisLower respiratory tract infectionsPharyngitisPneumoniaRespiratory system proceduresTreatment guidelinesUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 20 March 2001 Issue Published: 20 March 2001 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2001 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...