[Optimal duration of antibiotic therapy: there is no 'one size fits all']

The increasing use of antibiotics is the main driving force behind the rise of antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, there is a large variation in antibiotic use amongst prescribers. We describe the current duration of antibiotic therapy for common infections in the Netherlands and the new studies we can expect in this field in the years to come. We think that more research is needed to determine the duration of antibiotic therapy on the basis of different patient characteristics. It has, for example, recently been shown that the sex of the patient plays an important role in optimal duration of therapy for febrile urinary tract infections. Therefore, it is important to identify patients who fail on shorter courses of antibiotics in order to avoid overtreatment of all patients and to reduce the use of antibiotics in the future.