Optimum outpatient therapy of skin and skin structure infections.

Skin and skin structure infections appear in a variety of ways with multiple aetiologies. Optimum therapy is accomplished with a good understanding of both skin anatomy and common resident or transient bacterial flora present on the skin surface. Primary and secondary infections occur in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients, each of which require unique decision-making skills on the part of the prescriber. Deciding when culture and sensitivity should be performed or therapy should be begun empirically is often difficult and can be frustrating. This is complicated by the ever-increasing number of antimicrobial agents available today and their variable costs. Choosing the best antibiotic agent, based on evidence of which is the most effective agent for a particular lesion, the easiest dosage schedule and the most economical drug, is a goal that will best serve both the patient and the physician.