Calculated parenteral initial treatment of bacterial infections: Economic aspects of antibiotic treatment

This is the seventeenth chapter of the guideline “Calculated initial parenteral treatment of bacterial infections in adults – update 2018” in the 2(nd) updated version. The German guideline by the Paul-Ehrlich-Gesellschaft für Chemotherapie e.V. (PEG) has been translated to address an international audience. This chapter analyses economic aspects of antiinfective therapy. Any treatment decision is also a cost decision. In this chapter the authors particularly analyse whether or not there is evidence that certain clinically effective strategies as Antimicrobial Stewardship programs (AMS), guideline adherent initial therapy, early diagnostics, De-escalation, sequence therapy or therapeutic drug monitoring also have benficial economic effects. These can be direct savings or shortening of length of stay to free resources.