Context

There are ample data suggesting that physicians often deviate from guidelines for the treatment of common infections by unnecessarily overprescribing antibiotics. Antibiotic overprescription for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) has been observed in the inpatient setting. Previous observational studies have shown that physicians commonly prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics when treatment for only Gram-positive pathogens is warranted. In addition, physicians often use overly long courses of antibiotics for inpatient SSTIs. Antibiotic overuse for infections, including inpatient SSTIs, has been shown to be amenable to improvement with target antibiotic stewardship efforts. Hurley and colleagues hypothesised that overprescription and avoidable antibiotic exposure would also be common …