Infection is a common reason for seeking treatment in the emergency department. Appropriate and timely therapy for these patients is critical. The therapy of most infectious presentations in the emergency department is empiric, with little information published about the infectious etiology and/or pathogen(s). Optimal antibiotic therapy in these patients involves the selection of the appropriate agent(s), the proper dosing regimen, timely administration, and close therapeutic monitoring. To make these decisions, health care providers must be aware of the appropriate diagnostic criteria, likely pathogens for the suspected site of infection, the latest antimicrobial products, and current antimicrobial resistance patterns and trends. Health care providers are also charged with the task of avoiding unnecessary or inappropriate antimicrobial therapy to prevent or slow further bacterial pathogen resistance. Bacterial meningitis, urinary tract infection, and community-acquired pneumonia are the most commonly seen emergency department infectious presentations.
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