Antibiotic Use at the End of Life: Balancing Symptom Relief, Treatment Burden, and Stewardship

Muhanad Alzahrani, Abdullah Alabbasi, Mohammed Sayes, Rayyan Fahad H Altemani, Ziyad Alzahrani, Department of Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Board in Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, Department of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®

Published online on April 22, 2026

Abstract

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundAntibiotic use remains common among patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care despite limited evidence that treatment consistently improves patient-centered outcomes. Clinicians frequently face uncertainty when balancing potential ...