World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

18–24 November

Aligning with the global action plan endorsed by WHO, the prime minister’s chief science advisor recommends collective and urgent action to mitigate the risk of antimicrobial resistance.^1,2

One simple action prescribers can take to help keep antimicrobials working is to include a meaningful indication on every antimicrobial prescription, for example, “cystitis” or “lower UTI” rather than “infection”, as this:

• promotes thoughtful antimicrobial prescribing
• facilitates communication between healthcare providers, and with patients
• supports timely review of the ongoing appropriateness of antimicrobial use
• provides justification for non-guideline-compliant prescribing
• reduces patient harm from inappropriate antimicrobial use and prescription misinterpretation
• assists quality improvement auditing.³

To find out more about slowing the progression of antimicrobial resistance, visit the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand antimicrobial stewardship page.