Choosing the Right Antibiotic in Ambulatory Care.

The goal of this article is to be a quick guide for the nurse practitioner practicing in an ambulatory setting for making the right antibiotic choice for the right infection. With the use of a system-based approach, this article defines the most common infections seen in ambulatory care and their most common causative organisms and gives antibiotic options with respect to efficacy, common side effects, and cost. We provide recommendations for length of therapy and follow-up, as well.