Antimicrobial Stewardship in General Practice

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem made worse by the unnecessary use of antibiotics. To improve the use of antibiotics, antimicrobial stewardship was developed, but it has yet to be widely used in general practice. This research has developed a framework to guide the introduction of antimicrobial stewardship into Australian general practice. The framework has six main components: leadership and policies, education of the public and GPs, monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions and patient outcomes, consultation support including patient information, involving community pharmacists and nurses, and research into gaps in the evidence.