Careful prescribing proves superbug resistance not futile

Careful prescribing proves superbug resistance not futile

Good management of antibiotic use in hospital has delivered “better than expected” results for patients at Capital & Coast District Health Board (CCDHB), an infectious diseases expert says.

A presentation shown as part of Antibiotic Awareness week indicates that measures to raise awareness of resistance have reduced antibiotic use and the frequency of some antibiotic resistant infections at CCDHB, says infectious diseases physician Dr Tim Blackmore.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, commonly known as ‘superbugs’, are more difficult to treat and can be associated with higher rates of mortality and morbidity.

Dr Blackmore says targeting overuse of specific antibiotics and prescribing has enabled a 13% percent reduction in the use of antibiotics at CCDHB since 2011, and decreased the number of antibiotic resistant infections like clostridium difficile at Wellington Hospital.

This work has been driven by CCDHB’s antibiotic stewardship team, which is comprised of a specialty infectious diseases pharmacist and doctors.

Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are two of the most widely-known antibiotic resistant bacteria in New Zealand. Infection rates for both at CCDHB and the Hutt Valley DHB are among the lowest in the country.

Dr Blackmore says the results show that rates of antibiotic resistance can be slowed with careful management of antibiotic use, even if resistance rates continue to rise internationally.

“Our health system is reliant on antibiotics to treat everything from minor cuts to life-threatening infections, which makes it vulnerable to the threat of antibiotic resistance.

“Last year’s widely-publicised case won’t be the last patient we see with a bacterium resistant to all-known antibiotics, but if health professionals and the public are careful with our use, we can delay the onset of the post-antibiotic era in New Zealand,” he says.

New Zealanders consumed more antibiotics than almost any other country in the world between 2000 and 2010, according to global study published in the Lancet medical journal this year.

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