Longer antibiotic treatment courses can often be safely and effectively shortened, according to the ACP guidance; 4 common conditions serve as examples.
The American College of Physicians on April 5, 2021 published a guidance titled, "Appropriate Use of Short-Course Antibiotics in Common Infections: Best Practice Advice From the American College of Physicians."
The Scientific Medical Policy Committee of the ACP reviewed 38 articles consisting of published clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, and individual studies addressing bronchitis with COPD exacerbations, community acquired pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and cellulitis.
The resulting recommendations, the authors point out, are not based on a formal systematic review but rather on the "best available evidence" Guidance was prioritized to the highest available level of synthesized evidence.
The following slides offer the 4 specific Best Practice Advice statements from ACP and short notes from the guidance on each.