Antibiotic overuse in aged care
Antibiotic use is higher in Australia's residential aged care facilities than in other countries
In Australia, almost 70% of residents of aged care facilities received an antibiotic over a year, compared to 54% in the United Kingdom, and 63% in the Netherlands and North America.
This new research from Macquarie University compared the use of antibiotics in residential aged care facilities internationally and is published in the international journal, PLoS One.
Analysis showed that only 28.5% of antibiotic courses in residential aged care in Australia and overseas were appropriate, said Dr Magda Raban, Senior Research Fellow with the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University.
“Antibiotics should only be given if the patient has symptoms consistent with an infection requiring antibiotic treatment. There are clear guidelines for the use of antibiotics and the data suggest that people in Australian residential aged care facilities are being prescribed antibiotics too often.”
The World Health Organization has identified antimicrobial resistance as a major threat to global health.
Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a key contributor to increasing antimicrobial resistance.
Dr Raban is part of a push to improve the way medication is managed in aged care.
“Using current systems, some aged care facilities find it difficult to monitor what medication their residents are taking, for how long, and if it is appropriate."
By linking IT systems, we can provide real time data that alerts a facility if a patient is taking antibiotics when their condition does not warrant this.
This research is important in alerting the aged care sector of an important concern for older people in residential care and in providing a baseline for measuring future efforts to reduce antibiotic use.
Read the Open Access article here:
Temporal and regional trends of antibiotic use in long-term aged care facilities across 39 countries, 1985-2019: Systematic review and meta-analysis Magdalena Z. Raban, Peter J. Gates, Claudia Gasparini, Johanna I. Westbrook Published: August 23, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256501
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