Why Might Broad Spectrum Antimicrobials Be Initially Used When Treating

Multiple Choice

Why might broad spectrum antimicrobials be initially used when treating a patient?

A) They are cheaper to use.
B) They may initially be used to protect the patient since it can take several days to make a definitive bacterial identification.
C) The physician has never encountered that pathogen before.
D) An initial round of broad spectrum antimicrobials increases the efficiency of narrow spectrum antimicrobials.
E) It's best to start with broad spectrum antimicrobials until patient records are available that show if the patient has any antimicrobial allergies.