Community consumption comprises most antibacterial use

(HealthDay)—Community antibacterial consumption comprises about 85 to 95 percent of total antibacterial consumption, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.

Eamon Duffy, from Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, and colleagues measured community and hospital antibacterial consumption in New Zealand in 2015, and compared data with those reported from a range of other nations during a similar time period.

The researchers found that for all nations for which data were available, community antibacterial consumption accounted for about 85 to 95 percent of total antibacterial consumption; the proportion in New Zealand was higher than in any other nation. Countries with relatively high levels of total antibacterial consumption had a significantly higher proportion of total antibacterial consumption made up of community consumption, compared with countries with relatively low levels of total antibacterial consumption.

"These results suggest that improving antimicrobial stewardship in the community may provide greater overall benefits in combating antibacterial resistance than improving antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals," the authors write.