[Appropriate use of antibiotics shortens length of hospital stay]

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing health care problem, both abroad and in the Netherlands, and its main driving force is antibiotic use. In patients with pneumonia or sepsis, appropriate antibiotic use has been associated with improved clinical outcome, shorter length of hospital stay, decreased bacterial resistance and reduced costs. In a recent study in 19 hospitals in the Netherlands, we found that appropriate antibiotic use in patients with another common type of infection, i.e. urinary tract infection, was also associated with a reduction in length of hospital stay, thus improving patient outcome and healthcare costs. A social and behavioural scientific approach with different intervention strategies - restrictive and persuasive - is required if antibiotic prescription in hospitals is to be improved. As a part of this antimicrobial stewardship programme, antibiotic teams (A-teams) must be introduced in all hospitals in 2014.