REPLY
Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance in Hospitals
Marin Kollef, MD
15 January 2002 | Volume 136 Issue 2 | Page 173
IN RESPONSE:
Dr. Fraser and I agree with Dr. Johnson that patients' underlying host defenses play a very important role in determining susceptibility to infection with antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. In addition, studies attempting to define the impact of antibiotic resistance on clinical outcomes need to take severity of illness and other underlying patient characteristics into account. Only in this way can accurate estimates be made concerning the impact of antibiotic resistance on hospital mortality and other clinical outcomes. We also thank Drs. Singh and Yu for clarifying how they used the clinical pulmonary infection score in their clinical trial. More studies that define optimal management practices for the use of antibiotics among hospitalized patients are needed. These studies must define the costs and benefits of antibiotic exposure, as well as the potential harm caused by increasing the burden of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in the hospital setting.
|
Author and Article Information
|
|---|
 Top
 Author & Article Info
|
|---|
Washington University School of Medicine; Barnes-Jewish Hospital; St. Louis, MO 63110
About Letters
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
Article
