# Home  ## Overview and Purpose Nobody really knows how to use antibiotics. When one critically examines the mass of evidence relating to the use of antibiotics, it becomes increasingly evident that a lot of the traditions guiding antibiotic use rest on a mix of dogma, unreliable studies, and misinterpreted findings. The goal of the antibiotic stewardship rotation is provide a framework for thinking about _how_ to use antibiotics in the context of almost overwhelming uncertainty regarding every aspect of their use. But in order to get to _how_, we need to know _why_ we use antibiotics, *when* we should even use them, and _what_ they are. So, while the in-person portion of this rotation focuses heavily on developing a general approach to infectious syndromes, this is not necessarily enough to address all of the above questions. That's where this site comes in. The purpose of this website is to act as a reference point for some basic knowledge about each drug - their spectra, their toxicities, their most appropriate use cases, and so forth - to complement our daily rounds, readings, and various homework assignments. This way, while we're in the hospital, we can focus more on our approaches to diagnosis and patient care. For those not on the rotation, This is meant to be a standalone reference as well. In the pages describing drugs, the format may overlap with resources such as LexiComp and the Sanford Guide, but the level of detail and the focus is different, because the purpose is not the same. The goal isn't to document the minutiae of each drug, but rather to provide a holistic way for a clinician to view each of them. The level of information here is meant to be kind of a first stop for someone just learning their way before they graduate on to use the more advanced references they may see infectious diseases fellows, attendings, and pharmacists reference. The topics that are emphasized have the medical resident in mind as the target audience. ## Disclaimers This website is maintained by one person - [me](https://infectiousdiseases.wustl.edu/people/11332/). While the information here is accurate and referenced to the best of my knowledge, there are no guarantees of accuracy and this, like all of medicine, should be considered a perpetual work in progress. Our understanding of what is appropriate care is constantly evolving and in the area of infectious diseases in particular relies heavily on weak and incomplete data. References are provided throughout. If unsourced ("expert") opinions are included, I will try to emphasize that they are just that. If you find inaccurate information, outdated information, or missing references, please email me at *sena at avisena dot org*. The intended audience for this website are residents and fellows looking to increase their knowledge of antibiotics. Nothing on this website constitutes medical advice. In the interest of sticking with my area of expertise, this is essentially a compendium relating to the use of antibacterials. For the use of antivirals, there are excellent resources that are linked in the [[External Resources]] section. Guidance for the appropriate use of antifungals is somehow even more nebulous and ill-defined than for antibacterials, but there are several relevant IDSA guidelines that partially address these topics, which are also linked in the [[external resources]] section. ## Acknowledgements This website was made using [Obsidian Publish](https://obsidian.md/publish), which I think is very cool software. *** Tags: #home