Methodology in improving antibiotic implementation policies

Abstract

The basic requirements of antibiotic prescribing are components of methodology; knowledge, logical reasoning, and analysis. Antimicrobial drugs are valuable but limited resources, different from other drugs and they are among the most commonly prescribed drugs all over the world. They are the only drugs which do not intentionally affect the patient. They affect the pathogens which invade the host. The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens are accelerated by heavy antibiotic usage. The effective antimicrobial stewardship and infection control program have been shown to limit the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. In this respect, education for antibiotic prescribing could be designed by going through the steps of scientific methodology. A defined leadership and a coordinated multidisciplinary approach are necessary for optimizing the indication, selection, dosing, route of administration, and duration of antimicrobial therapy. In scenarios, knowledge is also as important as experience for critical decision making as is designated. In this setting, the prevalence and resistance mechanisms of antimicrobials, and their interactions with other drugs need to be observed. In this respect, infectious disease service should play an important role in improving antimicrobial use by giving advice on the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents, and implementing evidence-based guidelines.

Keywords: Antibiotics, Infection, Antibiotic resistance, Therapy, Medical informatic applications

Core tip: Treatment of infections has become problematic because of increasing global antimicrobial resistance. One of the major reasons of this is antibiotic misuse and over use. In order to make antibiotic therapy more effective, some guidelines are used. Although guidelines lead to improvements in clinical practice, no guideline can be sufficiently specific that can be applied to all clinical situations. For improving antibiotic implementation strategies, not only consensus-based but also evidence-based scientific methods are needed. This review highlights the knowledge and experimentation of expert physicians under the supervision of antibiotic stewardship.