Antibiotics: Medications that target bacterial infections by inhibiting bacterial growth or killing bacteria, used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial diseases.

Antibiotic (or antimicrobial) resistance: The ability of bacteria to survive and proliferate despite exposure to antibiotics that were previously effective.

Antimicrobial stewardship: A coordinated strategy to optimize the use of antimicrobial agents, improving patient outcomes while reducing resistance, adverse effects, and unnecessary costs.

Antiseptics: Agents applied to living tissues to reduce or eliminate microbial presence, preventing infections in wounds and surgical sites.

AWaRe Classification: A framework developed by the World Health Organization categorizing antibiotics into 3 groups—Access, Watch, and Reserve—to guide appropriate prescribing and combat resistance.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics: Antimicrobial agents effective against a wide range of bacterial, often used empirically when the pathogen is unknown.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms in host tissues, leading to an immune response that may cause localized or systemic disease.

Pathogen: An organism that causes disease or pathology in a host.

Preauthorization: A prospective antimicrobial stewardship strategy requiring prescriber approval from infectious disease specialists or pharmacists before initiating certain restricted antibiotics.

Prospective audit: A post-prescription antimicrobial stewardship intervention involving the review of antimicrobial use with feedback to prescribers to optimize therapy and reduce inappropriate prescribing.

Wound culture: A laboratory test that involves collecting and analyzing microbial samples from a wound to identify infectious pathogens and determine antimicrobial susceptibility.