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Beta-lactam antibiotics are used in the management and treatment of bacterial infections. This activity will highlight the mechanism of action, adverse event profile, and other key factors (e.g., off-label uses, dosing, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, monitoring, relevant interactions) pertinent for members of an interprofessional healthcare team in the treatment of patients. Objectives: Identify the mechanism of action of beta-lactam antibiotics. Describe the possible adverse effects of beta-lactam antibiotics. Outline the appropriate monitoring of patients taking beta-lactam antibiotics. Summarize interprofessional team strategies for improving care coordination and communication to advance beta-lactam antibiotics and improve outcomes. Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.
Penicillins are the most commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics by many clinicians, including primary care providers, internists, infectious disease experts, and nurse practitioners. Within the subgroups of penicillins, there are differences between the antibiotics in pharmacokinetics, coverage, safety, and cost, which gives a fair amount of choice to make in selecting which drug to use.[12] Their use still requires the coordination of an interprofessional team. The clinicians above will be ordering/prescribing, but nursing will often administer (inpatient) or counsel on administration (outpatient). Pharmacists need to involve themselves via medication reconciliation, looking for interactions, and reinforcing administration instructions. Nurses will often be the first line of contact in the event of adverse events and are also well-positioned to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness. Pharmacists shall verify dosing and duration of therapy and contact the prescriber on encountering any discrepancy. All healthcare team members need to be mindful of anaphylactic reactions to beta-lactam agents and the potential for crossover allergies and communicate these to the team when present. Although beta-lactams use is very common, their effective prescription requires an interprofessional team approach for optimal patient outcomes. [Level 5]