Current Challenges in the Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections and Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are major public health problems that are commonly encountered in the primary care setting. Establishing the severity of disease is an important step in the diagnosis of SSTI and CAP, because this can affect decisions about optimal management, including level of care. Due to antibiotic resistance, allergies, and adverse effect profiles of current therapies, there is a need for new treatment options for both SSTI and CAP. Improved utilization of oral outpatient antibiotic treatments can also minimize the risk of serious adverse effects or nosocomial infections, leading to better patient outcomes. As these infections are mostly treated in outpatient settings, primary care clinicians are best suited to implement changes such as use of oral antibiotics, where appropriate, to reduce hospitalization, with its associated costs and risks to the patient.