‘Inappropriate’ antibiotic use in hospitals

SOME 42% of antibiotics prescribed in Irish hospitals last year were out of line with best practice guidelines in a Europe-wide survey.

The European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption found that rates of antibiotic use in Irish hospitals were in the mid to high range.

International experience has shown that up to 50% of antibiotic therapy is inappropriate.

Today is European Antibiotic Awareness Day, an initiative aimed at protecting patients from acquiring resistant bacteria.

The day will focus on the importance of appropriate antibiotic use in hospitals.

Although rates of MRSA infection in Ireland has been falling steadily since 2006, rates of infection with other antibiotic-resistant bacteria have increased.

The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland said that while progress has been made in many hospitals, more needed to be done to stem the tide of antibiotic resistance.

Consultant microbiologist and chair of the Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Group, Dr Edmond Smyth, said antibiotic-resistant bacteria are now common and cause problems in hospitals across Ireland on a regular basis.

* Information on European Antibiotic Awareness Day is available at www.ecdc.europa.eu.