Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

National campaigns to improve antibiotic use

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

High levels of antibiotic consumption are driving levels of bacterial resistance that threaten public health. Nonetheless, antibiotics still provide highly effective treatments for common diseases with important implications for human health. The challenge for public education is to achieve a meaningful reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use without adversely affecting the management of bacterial infections. This paper focuses on the lessons learned from national campaigns in countries (Belgium and France) with high antibiotic use. Evaluation of these national campaigns showed the importance of television advertising as a powerful medium to change attitudes and perhaps also behaviour with regard to antibiotics. Moreover, in both countries, strong evidence suggested reduced antibiotic prescribing. However, adverse effects associated with a reduction in antibiotic prescribing were not monitored. We conclude that carefully designed mass education campaigns could improve antibiotic use nationally and should be considered in countries with high antibiotic use. However, these campaigns should employ techniques of social marketing and use appropriate outcome measures. The benefits and risks of such campaigns have been less well established in countries where antibiotic use is already low or declining.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Nordberg P, Monnet DL, Cars O (2004) Antibacterial resistance. Background document for the WHO project: Priority medicines for Europe and the World-a public health approach to innovation. World Health Organization, Geneva. (Available at http://mednet3.who.int/prioritymeds, accessed 23 Nov 2005)

  2. Goossens H, Ferech M, Stichele RV, Elseviers M, the ESAC Project Group (2005) Outpatient antibiotic use in Europe and association with resistance. Lancet 365:579–587

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Grilli R, Freemantle N, Minozzi S, Domenighetti G, Finer D (1997) Mass media interventions: effects on health services utilisation (Cochrane Review). The Cochrane Library 2001 (Issue 1). Update Software, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  4. Person B, Cotton D (1996) A model of community mobilization for the prevention of HIV in women and infants. Prevention of HIV in women and infants demonstration projects. Public Health Rep 111(suppl 1):89–98

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bavestrello L, Cabello A (2004) Impact of regulatory measures on antibiotic sales in Chile. 2nd international conference on improving use of medicines, 30 March-2 April 2004, Chiang Mai, Thailand. http://www.icium.org/icium2004 (accessed 8 Dec 2004)

  6. Park S (2004) Decreased inappropriate antibiotic use following a Korean National Policy to prohibit medication dispensing by physicians. 2nd international conference on improving use of medicines, 30 March-2 April 2004, Chiang Mai, Thailand. http://www.icium.org/icium2004 (accessed 23 Nov 2005)

  7. Bauraind I, Lopez-Lozano JM, Beyaert A, Marchal JL, Seys B, Yane F et al (2004) Association between antibiotic sales and public campaigns for their appropriate use. JAMA 292:2468–2470

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Aubry Damon H, Carlet J, Courvalin P, Desenclos JC, Drucker J, Guillemot D et al (2000) Bacterial resistance to antibiotics in France: a public health priority. Euro Surveill 5:135–138

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Sommet A, Sermet C, Boelle PY, Tafflet M, Bernede C, Guillemot D (2004) No significant decrease in antibiotic use from 1992 to 2000, in the French community. J Antimicrob Chemother 54:524–528

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Plan national pour préserver l’efficacité des antibiotiques (2001) Paris; Ministère de la santé et des solidarités (Available at http://www.sante.gouv.fr, accessed 23 Nov 2005)

  11. Mackson J (2004) Implementation and outcomes of a 5-year intervention program to improve use of antibiotics in respiratory tract infections in primary care. 2nd international conference on improving use of medicines, 30 March-2 April 2004, Chiang Mai, Thailand. http://www.icium.org/icium2004 (accessed 23 Nov 2005)

  12. Cars O, Stålsby Lundborg C, Mölstad S (2004) Improving antibiotic use through a nationwide decentralized project-a nine-year experience. 2nd international conference on improving use of medicines, 30 March-2 April 2004, Chiang Mai, Thailand. http://www.icium.org/icium, 2004 (accessed 23 Nov 2005)

  13. Ashworth M, Latinovic R, Charlton J, Cox K, Rowlands G, Gulliford M (2004) Why has antibiotic prescribing for respiratory illness declined in primary care? A longitudinal study using the general practice research database. J Pub Health 26:268–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wagner AK, Soumerai SB, Zhang F, Ross-Degnan D (2002) Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series studies in medication use research. J Clin Pharmacol Therapeut 27:299–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Guillemot D, Henriet L, Lecoeur H, Weber P, Carbon C (2001) Optimization of antibiotic use rapidly decreases penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP) carriage: The AUBEPPIN Study (Abstract 1527). In: Abstracts of the 41st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 16–19 Dec, 2001, Chicago, Ill. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, p 264

  16. Guillemot D, Varon E, Bernede C, Weber P, Henriet L, Simon S et al (2005) Reduction of antibiotic use in the community reduces the rate of colonization with penicillin G-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae. Clin Infect Dis 41:930–938

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Donnan PT, Wei L, Steinke DT, Phillips G, Clark R, Noone A (2004) Presence of bacteriuria caused by trimethoprim resistant bacteria in patients prescribed antibiotics: multilevel model with practice and individual patient data. BMJ 328:1295–1300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Wilson P (2004) Commentary: legal issues of data anonymisation in research. BMJ 328:1300–1301

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Van Zuijlen DA, Schilder AG, Van Balen FA, Hoes AW (2001) National differences in incidence of acute mastoiditis: relationship to prescribing patterns of antibiotics for acute otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis J 20:140–144

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Little P, Watson L, Morgan S, Williamson I (2002) Antibiotic prescribing and admissions with major suppurative complications of respiratory tract infections: a data linkage study. Br J Gen Pract 52:187–190, 193

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Price DB, Honeybourne D, Little P, Mayon-White RT, Read RC, Thomas M et al (2004) Community-acquired pneumonia mortality: a potential link to antibiotic prescribing trends in general practice. Resp Med 98:17–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Herman Goossens.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goossens, H., Guillemot, D., Ferech, M. et al. National campaigns to improve antibiotic use. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 62, 373–379 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-005-0094-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-005-0094-7

Keywords

Navigation