ETHICS OF ANTIBIOTIC-THERAPY PRACTICE IN GERIATRICS

The high frequency of infections in the elderly, at home as well as in institutions, raises the question of the place antibiotic therapy sho uld occupy. Too often, unfortunately, antibiotic therapy is prescribed indiscriminately in cases of infection. Between therapeutic abstentio n and overtreatment there is room for a more rational and adapted medi cal decision which is the outcome of a clinical process integrating a rigorous biomedical approach, taking due account of the environment, t he functionality and the quality of life of the elderly patient. The i mportance of human, ecological, pharmacological and economic constrain ts should lead to deeper consideration of the appropriateness of antib iotic therapy in geriatric practice.