Antibiotic Conservation
Aotearoa
Antibiotic Conservation Aotearoa is an initiative focused on improving the use of antibiotics in Aotearoa-for a healthier future and a better tomorrow.
Antibiotic Conservation Aotearoa is an initiative focused on improving the use of antibiotics in Aotearoa—for a healthier future and a better tomorrow.
Antibiotics are medicines used to treat bacterial infections. They work by either killing bacteria or preventing their growth and reproduction. Antibiotics are essential medicines in modern medicine, as they help to combat various bacterial diseases and save lives. Without the ability to use antibiotics to prevent or treat infections, many other medical procedures, such as major surgery, and chemotherapy for many types of cancer, would carry unacceptable risks of serious illness, or even death. Access to effective antibiotics is a requirement for modern science.
Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to use antibiotics as well as we can to prevent and treat infections while minimising the harms that they can cause including adverse effects. These harms include the development of antibiotic resistance-when bacteria change to become resistant to the antibiotics we use.
While antibiotics are highly effective against bacterial infections, they have no effect on viral infections like common colds and the flu. All antibiotic use can contribute to antibiotic resistance, which poses a significant global health concern. For some infections that previously could be cured by several different antibiotics, we now only have only one or two antibiotics that are effective.
We need to maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations, just as we need to preserve the ozone layer that surrounds the earth, and ensure that we have access to clean, healthy water and food. To maintain the utility of antibiotics we need to use them only when they provide a significant benefit, and stop using them when they provide nil or very little benefit.
Antibiotics are medicines used to treat bacterial infections. They work by either killing bacteria or preventing their growth and reproduction. Antibiotics are essential medicines in modern medicine, as they help to combat various bacterial diseases and save lives.
Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to use antibiotics as well as we can to prevent and treat infections while minimising the harms that they can cause including adverse effects. These harms include the development of antibiotic resistance-when bacteria change to become resistant to the antibiotics we use.
Antibiotic usage in Aotearoa / New Zealand (NZ) is high by international standards and selecive reductions in use will not lead to any harmful effects on our health. As well as slowing the spread of antibiotic resistance, reducing antibiotic use will also reduce patient harms caused by antibiotic-related adverse effects such as diarrhoea, rashes, and allergic reactions. The changes in antibiotic use recommended in Aotearoa are very similiar to those being actively promoted in other nations, including Australia, the US, UK, and many European countries,
Our aim is to reduce antibiotic prescribing for people with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) by 8%.
We will use evidence-based techniques that have been shown to reduce antibiotic use in international studies. These techniques will form our intervention. We will compare the rate of antibiotic prescribing for patients with URTIs before and after implementing the intervention. Our study requires over 1,628 patients in total and involves more than 150 General Practitioners (GPs).
Each GP/practice will display a poster indicating their dedication to wise reductions in their antibiotic prescribing.
We will ask each patient to indicate their expectations of their GP consultation to ensure their doctor knows in advance what the patient expects—reassurance, a sick note for work, antibiotic treatment, etc.
Prior to their appointment, patients will have the opportunity to access information regarding URTIs and the most effective treatments, ensuring they are well-informed.
GPs will regularly be provided with access to up-to-date high quality information to enhance their knowledge about the best care for patients.
We will provide GPs with online brief messages to encourage positive changes in their consultation and prescribing practice.
We will provide GPs with simple guidelines to assist their clinical care.
We will provide GPs with a template to facilitate prescription of safe, effective, inexpensive non-antibiotic treatments for patients.
We will ask patients to give feedback on their satisfaction following the consultation with their GP to determine whether their needs were met.
We will provide GPs with monthly feedback on their antibiotic prescribing rate compared to their peers
Each GP/practice will display a poster indicating their dedication to wise reductions in their antibiotic prescribing.
We will ask each patient to indicate their expectations of their GP consultation to ensure their doctor knows in advance what the patient expects—reassurance, a sick note for work, antibiotic treatment, etc.
Prior to their appointment, patients will have the opportunity to access information regarding URTIs and the most effective treatments, ensuring they are well-informed.
GPs will regularly be provided with access to up-to-date high quality information to enhance their knowledge about the best care for patients.
We will provide GPs with online brief messages to encourage positive changes in their consultation and prescribing practice.
We will provide GPs with simple guidelines to assist their clinical care.
We will provide GPs with a template to facilitate prescription of safe, effective, inexpensive non-antibiotic treatments for patients.
We will ask patients to give feedback on their satisfaction following the consultation with their GP to determine whether their needs were met.
We will provide GPs with monthly feedback on their antibiotic prescribing rate compared to their peers
- Antibiotic Conservation Aotearoa Team
Join us in our mission to promote responsible antibiotic use, protect public health, and ensure a brighter future for all.
