Acute Care Hospital
- Does my patient have an infection that requires antibiotics?
- Have I ordered appropriate cultures before starting antibiotics? What empiric therapy should I initiate?
- A day or more has passed. Can I stop antibiotics? Can I narrow therapy or change from IV to oral therapy?
- What duration of antibiotic therapy is needed for my patient's diagnosis?
(Source: (https://www.ahrq.gov/antibiotic-use/acute-care/four-moments/index.html)
Ambulatory Care
- Does my patient have an infection that requires antibiotics?
- Do I need to order any diagnostic tests?
- If antibiotics are indicated, what is the narrowest, safest and shortest regimen I can prescribe?
- Does the patient understand what to expect and the follow-up plan?
(Source: https://www.ahrq.gov/antibiotic-use/ambulatory-care/four-moments/index.html)
Long-Term Care
- Does the resident have symptoms that suggest an infection?
- What type of infection is it? Have we collected appropriate cultures before starting antibiotics? What empiric therapy should be initiated?
- What duration of antibiotic therapy is needed for the resident's diagnosis?
- It's been 2-3 days since antibiotics were started. Reevaluate the resident and review results of diagnostic tests. Can we stop antibiotics? Can we narrow therapy? Can we change to oral antibiotics?
(Source: https://www.ahrq.gov/antibiotic-use/long-term-care/four-moments/index.html)