DNP 608 Module 7 Antibiotic Case Study Example

Reviewed by Ingrid Vasterling, MSN, RN Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This DNP 608 Module 7 sample is the antibiotic case study offered for extra credit in Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Across Lifespan at ASU, due in Week 9. ASU DNP 608 covers antimicrobial medications earlier in the term, and the case asks students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice to apply that content to a prescribing decision. In this composite, a 58-year-old man who also has type 2 diabetes has pneumonia acquired in the community and is well enough for outpatient care. The answers assess severity and site of care, explain why his diabetes changes the regimen, clarify a vague penicillin allergy, choose an antibiotic combination with doses and duration, and plan monitoring, follow-up and stewardship.

CourseDNP 608 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Across Lifespan
ModuleModule 7
Paper typePharmacotherapy case study
LengthAbout 663 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramDNP
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 608 Module 7

1

Pneumonia, Diabetes and a Rash in 1998: A Pharmacotherapy Case Study in Outpatient Antibiotic Choice

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

DNP 608: Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Across Lifespan

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title lists the three facts that drive the antibiotic decision, the infection, a comorbidity and an old allergy label, before naming the task.
2

Pneumonia, Diabetes and a Rash in 1998: A Pharmacotherapy Case Study in Outpatient Antibiotic Choice

The Case

Mr. A., 58, has three days of cough with yellow sputum, fever to 101.8 °F and right-sided chest pain with deep breaths. His diabetes is managed with metformin and empagliflozin, with an A1C of 7.6%, and hypertension. He has had no antibiotics in the last three months and no recent hospital stay. His chart lists a penicillin allergy: "rash, 1998." Vital signs: temperature 101.4 °F, heart rate 98, respiratory rate 20, blood pressure 132/78, SpO2 95% on room air. He is alert and oriented. Chest radiograph shows a right lower lobe infiltrate. BUN is 16 mg/dL.

Question 1: Can he be treated as an outpatient?

Yes. Severity tools support outpatient care: he scores 0 on CURB-65, with no confusion, a normal BUN, a respiratory rate under 30, normal blood pressure and age under 65, for a score of 0. His oxygen saturation is adequate, and he can take oral medication. Clinical judgment and social factors, such as whether someone can check on him, also matter.

Question 2: Why does his diabetes change the antibiotic choice?

Current guidelines separate outpatients without comorbidities from those with comorbidities such as chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, alcohol use disorder, cancer or asplenia (Metlay et al., 2019). Patients without comorbidities can receive amoxicillin, doxycycline or, where resistance is low, a macrolide alone. Because Mr. A. has diabetes, guidelines favor either a beta-lactam such as amoxicillin-clavulanate or a cephalosporin combined with a macrolide or doxycycline, or a respiratory fluoroquinolone used alone.

Question 3: How should the penicillin allergy be handled?

A distant, vague history of rash is the most common kind of penicillin allergy label, and most people with such labels are not truly allergic. Avoiding beta-lactams often leads to broader or less effective drugs, such as fluoroquinolones, with more side effects. Taking a careful history is the first step: Mr. A. says the rash appeared as a few itchy spots after amoxicillin for an ear infection, without hives, swelling, breathing trouble or skin peeling, and resolved in a day. This is a low-risk history. A cephalosporin with a different side chain, such as cefpodoxime, is a reasonable choice now, and referral for formal penicillin allergy evaluation afterward could remove the label.

Question 4: What regimen do you choose?

Cefpodoxime 200 mg by mouth twice daily plus azithromycin 500 mg on day 1, then 250 mg daily on days 2 to 5. The cephalosporin covers Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, and the macrolide covers atypical organisms such as Mycoplasma. A respiratory fluoroquinolone would also be guideline-concordant but carries risks of tendon injury, QT prolongation, dysglycemia in people with diabetes and Clostridioides difficile infection, so I would keep it for patients unable to take the combination. A baseline electrocardiogram is not required for most patients, but azithromycin's QT effect should be considered with other QT-prolonging drugs.

Duration: at least five days, continuing until he is clinically stable (Metlay et al., 2019). Improvement usually shows within two to three days.

Question 5: What about his diabetes medicines?

Acute illness can raise glucose. Empagliflozin should be held while he is eating and drinking poorly because of the risk of ketoacidosis during acute illness, and restarted when he is eating normally (American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee, 2025). He should check glucose more often and drink fluids. Metformin can continue if he is not dehydrated or vomiting.

Question 6: How will you follow up and practice stewardship?

Call or see him within 48 to 72 hours, with instructions to seek urgent care for worsening breathlessness, confusion or inability to keep fluids down. Avoid adding antibiotics without a clear indication, document the allergy clarification, and educate him that he should finish the planned course but not save or share antibiotics. These steps reflect the core elements of outpatient antibiotic stewardship, including commitment, action for policy and practice, tracking and education (Sanchez et al., 2016).

References

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. (2025). 9. Pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment: Standards of care in diabetes-2025. Diabetes Care, 48(Suppl. 1), S181-S206. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc25-S009

Metlay, J. P., Waterer, G. W., Long, A. C., Anzueto, A., Brozek, J., Crothers, K., Cooley, L. A., Dean, N. C., Fine, M. J., Flanders, S. A., Griffin, M. R., Metersky, M. L., Musher, D. M., Restrepo, M. I., & Whitney, C. G. (2019). Diagnosis and treatment of adults with community-acquired pneumonia: An official clinical practice guideline of the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 200(7), e45-e67. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201908-1581ST

Sanchez, G. V., Fleming-Dutra, K. E., Roberts, R. M., & Hicks, L. A. (2016). Core elements of outpatient antibiotic stewardship. MMWR: Recommendations and Reports, 65(6), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr6506a1

What the DNP 608 Module 7 instructions ask for

The posted syllabus lists the Extra Credit Antibiotic Case Study Assignment as due at the end of Week 9, the week on the integumentary and reproductive systems, after antimicrobial medications, HIV and the urinary system were covered in Week 6. The syllabus does not describe its format in detail, so check Canvas for the case, questions and point value. Expect questions on diagnosis and severity, drug selection, dosing, allergies, interactions, monitoring and stewardship. Because it is extra credit, it is a good chance to practice prescribing reasoning before the cumulative final exam. Answer each question in order and keep dosing details specific. Review the antimicrobial week's materials and the relevant guideline before starting, since the case is easier when you already know the decision categories.

How this DNP 608 Module 7 example is built

The sample gives a composite case with the vital signs, comorbidity, allergy label and laboratory value the decisions depend on. Six answers follow in prescribing order: site of care, effect of comorbidity on drug choice, allergy clarification, regimen with doses and duration, management of other medicines during illness, and follow-up with stewardship. Each answer gives a decision and the reasoning, and alternatives are discussed with their risks. Guidelines support the key decisions. Each answer opens with a decision, such as outpatient care or a named regimen, and then explains the reasoning in a few sentences. Risks of alternatives are named. The allergy answer shows how a careful history can widen safe options for the patient.

Where the marks sit in the DNP 608 Module 7 rubric

Pharmacotherapy case studies are typically graded on correct drug selection for the diagnosis and patient factors, accurate dosing and duration, attention to allergies, interactions and adverse effects, monitoring and follow-up, and use of current guidelines. Faculty look for reasoning that explains why one regimen is preferred over another for this patient. Clarifying an allergy label rather than accepting it shows advanced practice judgment. Managing the patient's other medicines during illness shows whole-patient prescribing. Clear doses, routes and durations make answers easy to credit, and naming the guideline category for the patient shows systematic reasoning. Stewardship content often earns extra points. Follow-up plans with timing and warning signs show complete prescribing.

DNP 608 Module 7 help with common mistakes

Students often choose an antibiotic without explaining how comorbidities change the guideline category. State the category first. Another common mistake is accepting a penicillin allergy label without asking what happened. Give doses, routes and durations. Consider drug interactions and effects on chronic disease medicines. Include follow-up timing and warning signs. If you would like help with a pharmacotherapy case, send it to the desk. Check current guidelines for the infection in your case, since recommendations change and older textbooks may list regimens no longer preferred. Note interactions with the patient's existing medicines. Write out the full prescription for each drug, including frequency.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

Request this one custom, free All DNP 608 module samples

More DNP 608 and DNP sample papers

DNP 608 Module 7 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 608 Module 7 sample paper?

The antibiotic case study is shown above in full: outpatient community-acquired pneumonia in a 58-year-old with diabetes, severity assessment, allergy clarification, a guideline regimen, sick-day medicine changes and stewardship.

Is the DNP 608 antibiotic case study required?

The syllabus lists it as an extra credit assignment due in Week 9.

What antibiotics treat outpatient pneumonia with comorbidities?

Guidelines recommend amoxicillin-clavulanate or a cephalosporin plus a macrolide or doxycycline, or a respiratory fluoroquinolone alone.

How long should community-acquired pneumonia be treated?

At least five days, continuing until the patient is clinically stable.

Should a vague penicillin allergy history be accepted?

No. Take a careful history; most low-risk labels can be clarified, and some cephalosporins can usually be used safely.