Prescribing antibiotics for woundcare

In recent years, there has been a drive to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, which has contributed to the emergence of bacterial resistance.¹ Although progress has been made to address this issue in secondary care, there is still a high rate of antibiotic prescribing in primary care.^2,3,4 To counter this, the Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) has promoted initiatives such as antimicrobial stewardship in primary care.⁵ Antimicrobial stewardship comprises ‘coordinated interventions designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antimicrobials’.⁶ PHE⁷ has produced also issued guidance on appropriate prescribing based on best available evidence, and in August, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence⁸ released its guidance Antimicrobial stewardship: Systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use (NG15).