Report | 5 April, 2018 | Download PDF
The unnecessary use of antibiotics and associated rapid growth of antibiotic resistance is a widely acknowledged crisis and threat to global health, development and sustainability. While the underlying cause of antibiotic resistance is undoubtedly the overall volume of antibiotic use, in general, irrational antibiotic use, which is influenced by several interrelated factors, is
a major contributor. The aim of this paper is to present and describe selected main drivers of irrational use of antibiotics in Europe, focussing on the general public and healthcare providers, and to propose a number of initiatives that, if implemented, can improve the current situation.