The Burden of Antibiotic Prescribing

The burden of antibiotic prescribing in primary care is high and although resistance may not be seen commonly in primary care at the moment, we need to be mindful that our behaviours now in the prescribing of antibiotics in primary care affect the future of our patients.

In this video Michael presents us with findings from a meta analysis which looks at individual level resistance following antibiotic treatment. Data shows individuals having at least double the risk of carrying a resistant bug two months after an antibiotic course, which persists for around about 12 months highlighting that at an individual level, people who have antibiotics are going to be more likely to be carrying resistant organisms.