Antibiotic Misuse Should be Tackled Urgently to Prevent Resistance

by Medtalks Social Healthcare Learning Platform in New Delhi

Infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis have become harder to treat

New Delhi, 30th November 2018: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released what is called the Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines to ensure judicious use of antibiotics in healthcare facilities. The guidelines will also help advise hospitals in setting up Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes (AMSP) for the purpose. The National Health Policy, 2017, terms antimicrobial resistance as one of the key healthcare issues and prioritizes development of guidelines regarding antibiotic use, limiting over-the-counter use of antibiotics and restricting the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock.

As per a recent educational module on India’s fastest growing healthcare video education platform - Medtalks.in, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health challenge. There are very few new antibiotics in the pipeline and thus, it becomes imperative to use the existing ones in a judicious manner. Since inappropriate use of antibiotics is rampant in India, there is an urgent need to improve the scenario hospitals.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, Editor in Chief IJCP and Medtalks and President Elect CMAOO said, “Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern and its impact on patients and communities are known to us all. This is a public health problem, one which is rapidly spreading across the globe, with not enough resources to control it. Antibiotic resistance has made it harder for us to treat many infections such as typhoid, pneumonia, tuberculosis. Antibiotic resistance prolongs hospitalization and increases the cost of treatment and the risk of death. Several studies have also corroborated the adverse impact of antibiotic resistance on health. Doctors, as well as patients, should be aware of and advocate judicious use of antibiotics. Overprescription and self- prescription, both, need to be checked.”

When prescribed for conditions that may not require antibiotic treatment at all, they can cause various side effects including disturbance to attention span, disorientation, agitation, nervousness, memory impairment, and delirium.

Adding further, Dr. Aggarwal said, “Improving and adhering to diagnostic tests for various diseases will help curb the inappropriate use of antibiotics, which compromises measures to control antimicrobial resistance. The imminent need of the hour is to address this issue. A coordinated intervention designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antimicrobials by promoting the selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial drug regimen, dose, duration of therapy, and route of administration.”

Some tips from HCFI

· Practice rational use of drugs antibiotics

· Use when needed and according to guidelines

· Avoid broad-spectrum antibiotics without appropriate diagnosis

· Prevent infections with the use of vaccination and by improving basic hygiene including hand hygiene and infection control techniques and sanitation in health care settings as well as in the community

· Farmers and food industry must stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.

A special video series on Antibiotic misuse is available on Medtalks.in and can be watched by clicking: https://www.medtalks.in

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