Ethics of antibiotherapy in geriatric medicine

: The high frequency of infections in the elderly, at home as well as in institutions, raises the question of the place antibiotic therapy should occupy. Too often, unfortunately, antibiotic therapy is prescribed indiscriminately in cases of infection. Between therapeutic abstention and overtreatment there is room for a more rational and adapted medical decision which is the outcome of a clinical process integrating a rigorous biomedical approach, taking due account of the environment, the functionality and the quality of life of the elderly patient. The importance of human, ecological, pharmacological and economic constraints should lead to deeper consideration of the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy in geriatric practice.