Exploring the relationship between primary care antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections, Escherichia coli bacteraemia incidence and antibiotic resistance: an ecological study

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem within the UK and globally. Optimising the use of antibiotics is a high priority as one of the main drivers of AMR is their misuse [1,2]. For this reason, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes (ASPs) in secondary care [3,4] and in primary care [5,6] have been put in place in in the UK and globally in recent years. One component of ASPs is the provision of evidence-based guidelines for antimicrobial prescribing. The link between antibiotic exposure and antibiotic resistance (for urinary and respiratory tract infections) in primary care has been widely demonstrated in recent meta-analyses [7 –9].
Source: International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Source Type: research