Hospitals’ antibiotic use on rise despite fears

Antibiotic reliance is on the increase in hospitals despite fears that their overuse helps breed drug-resistant superbugs.

Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that average antibiotic use rose between 2007 and 2014, from a value of 77.2 to 86, the values referring to the number of defined daily doses per 100 bed days used.

By contrast, antibiotic prescription by GPs and in other primary care settings has levelled off or, in the case of some antibiotics, decreased slightly.