January 21, 2011
In 2002, France launched a program to educate physicians and consumers about the dangers of antibiotic overuse–namely, the speedy development of antibiotic resistance. Les antibiotiques, c’est pas automatiques (antibiotics are not automatic) aimed to reduce antibiotic prescriptions in France by 25% over a five-year period, and it is largely touted as a success in fact, a PLoS One study recently reported that the program exceeded expectations, reducing prescriptions by 26.5% in the first five years.
Despite this reduction, though, France still remains among the top antibiotics prescribers in Europe, and prescriptions appear to be on the rise. This short article from the World Health Organization explores the history of the French campaign and some of the obstacles to reining in antibiotic use in France, including one common to the United States patient demand. A patient who enters a doctor’s office with a cold may fully expect to be treated with antibiotics, even if the pills will do nothing to combat a viral infection. If they don’t get the medicine, they may go elsewhere for treatment. And in a health care system where physician compensation is tied to patient volume, this expectation establishes a dangerous incentive for over-prescription.
CDDEP looks forward to much more from the WHO in anticipation of this year’s World Health Day (April 7, 2011), focusing on antimicrobial resistance.
Photo credit: Flickr: digitalFRANCE
