Antibiotic Stewardship for Non-Infectious Disease Physicians: Focusing on When to Withhold, Modify and Discontinue Antibiotics.

The multiple drug resistant organism (MDRO) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) epidemics are progressing relentlessly. Antibiotic stewardship (ABS) has evolved to confront these scourges. The Joint Commission has formulated a standard for its implementation and this should promote its use where others have failed. However, precisely how to intervene needs definition. Healthcare workers need practicable guidelines. The article discusses clinical scenarios where antibiotics should be withheld (Table 1), how they should be modified (Table 2) and when they should be discontinued (Table 3), three focal points of ABS.