Hierarchy of the recommendations
| Level of satisfaction of recommendations | Desirable criterion | Illustration |
| Satisfactory | Empiric antibiotic recommendation was supported by country-specific resistance patterns. | Management for uncomplicated cystitis in women in Sweden listed recommendations for preferred antibiotics. For instance, nitrofurantoin was a preferred option as a first-line treatment because of low resistance rates in a community setting, whereas fluoroquinolones were not indicated in this syndrome due to rapidly increasing resistance development.30 American recommendations for bacterial rhinosinusitis recommend high-dose amoxicillin as a preferred option over standard-dose amoxicillin primarily to cover and control PRSP.17 |
| Partial satisfactory | Empiric antibiotic recommendation was supported by inconsistent resistance patterns. | Filipino recommendations for mild CAP recommended the use of a beta-lactam with a beta-lactamase inhibitor without any justification on resistance. However, macrolides were considered as an alternative treatment because of a high threshold of resistance (20% resistance rate) among population.31 |
| Unsatisfactory | Empirical antibiotic recommendation did not support any resistance patterns or was not justified by country-specific resistance patterns. | Beta-lactams as well as macrolides were recommended for the management of pharyngitis in Namibia without any specification about microbiology or resistance.32 |
CAP, community-acquired pneumonia; PRSP, penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae.