To the Editor: Antimicrobial resistance has been identified as a major concern in Australia, particularly as few new antimicrobial agents are being developed.1 Studies suggest that up to half of antimicrobial agents prescribed in hospitals are inappropriate.2-4 Antimicrobial stewardship interventions, including dissemination of clinical guidelines and restrictions on antimicrobial formularies, may not be fully able to account for the complex indications for antimicrobial use in hospitalised patients.
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- 1. Gottlieb T, Nimmo G. Antibiotic resistance is an emerging threat to public health: an urgent call to action at the Antimicrobial Resistance Summit 2011. Med J Aust 2011; 194: 281-283. <MJA full text>
- 2. Hecker MT, Aron DC, Patel NP, et al. Unnecessary use of antimicrobials in hospitalized patients: current patterns of misuse with an emphasis on the antianaerobic spectrum of activity. Arch Intern Med 2003; 163: 972-978.
- 3. Willemsen I, Groenhuijzen A, Bogaers D, et al. Appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy measured by repeated prevalence surveys. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007; 51: 864-867.
- 4. Robertson MB, Korman TM, Dartnell JG, et al. Ceftriaxone and cefotaxime use in Victorian hospitals. Med J Aust 2002; 176: 524-529. <MJA full text>
- 5. Paskovaty A, Pflomm JM, Myke N, et al. A multidisciplinary approach to antimicrobial stewardship: evolution into the 21st century. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2005; 25: 1-10.
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