Organization of antibiotic stewardship in Europe: the way to go

SummaryIt is more than two decades ago that a  European Union conference on “The Microbial Threat” hosted by the Danish Government in Copenhagen in September 1998 issued recommendations to encourage good practice in the use of antimicrobial agents and reduce inappropriate prescribing. Essential components of those recommendations were anti microbial teams in hospitals and the use of feedback to prescribers as well as educational activities. Two decades later, important surveillance systems on both antimicrobial resistance as well as on antibiotic consumption are functioning at the European level and in most European countries; Europea n Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) has thoroughly re-evaluated, standardized and harmonized antibiotic susceptibility testing and breakpoints; there have been educational activities in many countries; and stewardship teams are now included in many guidelines and policy pape rs and recommendations. Yet, antimicrobial resistance problems in Europe have shifted from methicillin-resistantStaphylococus aureus (MRSA) to vancomycin-resistentEnterococcus faecium (VRE) and to multidrug-resistant gramnegative bacteria, while antibiotic consumption volumes, trends and patterns across countries do not show major and highly significant improvements. The way to go further is to recognize that better prescribing comes at a  cost and requires investment in expert personnel, practice guideline drafting, and implementation aids, an...

Source: Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift - February 1, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research