Australian antibiotic alert
August 8, 2011
AUSTRALIA is facing a growing
issue of antibiotic resistance,
according to health ministers from
across the country.
A communique from last week’s
two-day Australian Health Ministers
Conference in Darwin confirms that
the ministers agreed that one of
the major causes of the problem is
the inappropriate use of antibiotics
and other antimicrobials, resulting
in resistance of bacteria to these
medications.
The Ministers lauded the release
of the Antimicrobial Stewardship in
Australian Hospitals 2011 report, by
the Australian Commission on
Safety and Quality in Health Care,
saying it “is an important part of
national action to combat
antimicrobial resistance in Australia”.
The report recommends the use
of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)
in Australian hospitals to “reduce
inappropriate antimicrobial use,
improve patient outcomes and
reduce adverse consequences of
antimicrobial use (including
antimicrobial resistance, toxicity
and unnecessary costs)”.
“Research shows that up to half
of antimicrobial regimens
prescribed in Australian
hospitals are considered
inappropriate,” researchers said.
“Compared with northern Europe,
Australian hospitals have a higher
overall rate of inpatient antimicrobial
use,” the researchers added.
Suggested AMS programs in the
report are multidisciplinary and
utilise the expertise and resources
of infectious diseases physicians,
clinical microbiologists and
pharmacists.
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