How can I Reduce the Use of Antibiotics in my Primary Care?

It is estimated that 20% of paediatric outpatient visits per year result in an antibiotic prescription, and approximately one in three antibiotics used in ambulatory paediatrics are for conditions for which they are not necessary, mostly viral acute respiratory infections.

Overprescribing has led to increases in antibiotic resistance, an alarming problem worldwide, and can cause adverse drug events in individual patients.

Appropriate antibiotic use will result in better patient care, will reduce antibiotic resistance and decrease unnecessary health care costs.

There are a number of effective evidence-based strategies to improve antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory care settings, including providing education to clinicians regarding best practice, implementing disease-specific treatment algorithms, use of delayed prescription for acute otitis media, providing communication training to clinicians, supplying prescribing feedback to clinicians prompting them to justify antibiotics for conditions for which they are not typically recommended and providing education to patients and their families.