[Antibiotics in primary care]

Discovered in the forties of the twentieth century antimicrobial agents have changed the world. Currently, due to their overuse, we are threatened by the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, and soon we may face a threat of inability to fight these pathogens. For that reason, the world, European and national organizations introduce antibiotics protection programs. In Poland since 2004, the National Program of Protection of Antibiotics is being held. The concept of rational antibiotic therapy is associated not only with the appropriate choice of therapy or antimicrobial dosage but also with a reduction in costs associated with a refund of medicines. Antibiotics are prescribed mostly by primary care physicians (GP), and about one fifth of visits to family doctor's office ends with prescribing antimicrobial drug. These trends are probably related to both the difficulty in applying the differential diagnosis of viral and bacterial infection in a primary care doctor's office, as well as patient's conviction about the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in viral infections. However, although patients often want to influence the therapeutic decisions and ask their doctor for prescribing antimicrobial drug, the right conversation with a doctor alone is the critical component in satisfaction with medical care. Many countries have established standards to clarify the indications for use of antibiotics and thereby reduce their consumption. The next step is to monitor the prescribing and use of these drugs and to assess the rise of drug resistance in the area. In Poland, the recommendations regarding outpatient respiratory tract infections treatment were published and usage of antimicrobial agents monitoring has begun. However, lack of publications covering a broad analysis of antibiotic therapy and drug resistance on Polish territory is still a problem. Modem medicine has yet another tool in the fight against bacteria--they are bacteriophages. Phage therapy is unfortunately still an experimental therapy and its use has many limitations. To preserve antibiotics healing abilities, we must follow the rules of rational antibiotic therapy, and primary health care is a place where the physician can significantly contribute to deterioration or protection of antibiotics.