Antibiotics at the End of Life

Manisha Juthani-Mehta, MD, at the Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote a Viewpoint article in JAMA about the need to reassess the use of antimicrobials in dying patients. They reported that nearly 90% of hospitalized advanced-cancer patients receive antibiotics in their last week of life, as do about 25% of hospice patients. The authors maintain that advance care planning should include the use of antimicrobials, and physicians should educate patients and their families about its use, burdens, and a palliative approach.

Antimicrobials at the End of Life: An Opportunity to Improve Palliative Care and Infection Management
Manisha Juthani-Mehta, MD1; Preeti N. Malani, MD, MSJ2,3; Susan L. Mitchell, MD, MPH4,5
JAMA. 2015;314(19):2017-2018. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.13080.