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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
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Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
Published on: August 30, 2018
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The Invisible Excess: Too Long Antibiotic Duration in the Pediatric Emergency Care
Miguel Ángel Molina-Gutiérrez1, María Camacho-Gil2, Virginia Santana-Rojo2
1Pediatric Emergency Department, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, Spain.
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 27, 2026
Summary
Antibiotic prescriptions in pediatric emergency departments are often too long, contributing to resistance. Uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) frequently receives inappropriate antibiotic durations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Antimicrobial Stewardship
Background:
- Antibiotics are frequently prescribed in Pediatric Emergency Departments (PEDs).
- Overuse of antibiotics fuels antimicrobial resistance.
- Shorter antibiotic courses are proving effective in pediatric trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze antibiotic treatment durations for common pediatric infections in a PED.
- To compare prescribed durations with current evidence-based guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 1972 antibiotic prescriptions in a tertiary hospital's PED.
- Outpatients aged 0-16 years discharged with antibiotics in 2022 were evaluated.
- Prescriptions were classified as appropriate or inappropriate based on duration.
Main Results:
- 28.3% of antibiotic prescriptions had inappropriate durations, primarily longer than recommended (98.3%).
- Uncomplicated Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) had the highest rate of inappropriate durations (76.2% of all inappropriate prescriptions).
- Amoxicillin was the most frequent antibiotic in inappropriate prescriptions (75.4%).
Conclusions:
- Prolonged antibiotic prescribing is common in Pediatric Emergency Departments.
- Uncomplicated CAP is a key condition associated with inappropriate antibiotic durations in this setting.
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