This study focused on the community (outpatient) sector, although total and hospital consumption levels were also calculated to indicate the overall AC in Poland. Data on AC were provided through the courtesy of Quintiles IMS, a company monitoring the pharmaceutical INTRODUCTION Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the top global health concerns. 1-5 There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but the main driving factors are the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. 6,7 It was shown that the higher the antimicrobial consumption (AC), the higher the proportion of resistant pathogens. 8,9 A striking example of antibiotic misuse at the community level, a phenomenon contributing to emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, is the high prescription rate of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections (RTIs), caused mainly by viruses. 10-12 The lack of knowledge that antibiotics do not act on viruses may result in inappropriate antibiotic use. 13,14 The strategies to prevent development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance are complex and require