Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Empiric therapy
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Empiric therapy is a medical term referring to the initiation of treatment prior to determination of a firm diagnosis. It is most often used when antibiotics are given to a person before the specific microorganism causing an infection is known. Examples of this include antibiotics given for pneumonia and urinary tract infections.
Empiric antibiotics are typically broad-spectrum, in that they treat a wide variety of possible microorganisms. When more information is known (as from a blood culture), treatment may be changed to a different antibiotic which more specifically targets the microorganism known to be causing disease.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]