2000

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. This is the first randomised study to evaluate whether antibiotic choices can be influenced in a cost-effective fashion without sacrificing patient safety. The study demonstrated that 50% of patients initially treated with expensive parenteral antibiotics can have their regimens refined after 3 days of therapy and that these modifications result in good clinical outcomes with a substantial reduction in antibiotic expense.