Antibiotic use worldwide

The global response to the threat of antimicrobial resistance and the important role of vaccines

“…In European countries, systemic antibiotics are prescribed in greatest volume to ambulatory patients, mostly for respiratory tract infections [33]. Recent studies from Eastern Europe have identified the inappropriate use of antibiotics for viral infections of the respiratory tract and sub-therapeutic dosing as common in both hospital and ambulatory settings (in one published report correct dosing was reported in 38% of outpatient and 74% of medical charts of children with respiratory infections in hospital that were reviewed) [34,35] In Thailand, unnecessary use of antibiotics is seen among both health professionals and the public [36][37][38] One study in a tertiary care hospital revealed that only 7.9% of the upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) in the facility were caused by bacteria [39,40] Despite this, in Thailand most URIs are treated with antibiotics by hospitals, health centers, drug stores and patients themselves [41][42][43][44][45]. Liberal use of antibiotics endangers the health of patients without observable clinical benefits, since it neither reduces the rate of complications nor quickens recovery when the illness is caused by a virus [46,47].…”

Evaluation of the Hungarian ambulatory antibacterial use in urinary tract infections with different methods

“…There are increasing international concerns that many prescribing may be unnecessary or irrational (overuse of certain type of drugs) and not without dangers [38][39][40][41][42]. Common problems identified in hospital and ambulatory care could contribute to antibiotic resistance and poor outcomes of patients, decreasing the quality of healthcare [43].…”