Choosing Wisely internationally - helpful recommendations for antimicrobial stewardship!

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health threat.
• Antibiotic overuse is a primary driver of AMR.
• Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to optimize antibiotic use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review Choosing Wisely recommendations related to AMS practices.
• To identify common themes and future needs in AMS.
• To analyze recommendations from selected countries.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated Choosing Wisely recommendations from six countries (Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Germany).
• Focused on recommendations pertaining to diagnostics, indication, drug choice, dosing, application, and duration of therapy.
• Categorized 213 extracted recommendations.

Main Results:

• No recommendations were found for antibiotic dosing.
• Indication (85) and diagnostics (78) were the most frequent recommendation categories.
• Avoiding treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria and upper respiratory tract infections were common themes.

Conclusions:

• Choosing Wisely recommendations frequently address AMS, a vital strategy against AMR.
• Selected countries prioritize similar AMS issues.
• Further research may be needed to address antibiotic dosing recommendations.