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Antibiotics for cellulitis and cutaneous abscesses are among the most common outpatient prescriptions. Avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use is a critical component in efforts to prevent increasing antimicrobial resistance and to improve patient safety. However, little is known about current outpatient prescribing practices for skin and soft tissue infections.
In previous work, researchers in Colorado demonstrated that overly broad-spectrum antibiotics with prolonged courses were being prescribed for the in-hospital management of patients with cellulitis and cutaneous abscess. Now, they have extended their investigation to examine practices in a large ambulatory care system.
The study involved a retrospective cohort of 364 patients with a prima…