For Hospitals

Why you need to take action

• Antibiotic resistant infections are one of the biggest challenges for hospitals to deliver safe and effective health care.
• Patients with antibiotic-resistant infections are more likely to experience treatment failure, side-effects, recurrent infections, longer hospital-stays, or death.
• Antibiotic resistant infections are usually spread by direct contact with patients colonised or infected with resistant bacteria and the patient’s immediate environment. Transient contamination of health care workers hands supports spread to other patients and the health care environment.
• A key driver of antibiotic resistance is the misuse of antibiotics.
• Antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals and in the community is a key strategy to prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
• About one third of people were dispensed an antibiotic within 30 days of discharge from hospital in 2017.
• Māori and Pacific peoples are between two and four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment of an infection than other New Zealanders. This means that Māori and Pacific peoples will be disproportionately impacted by worse health outcomes due to antibiotic resistance.

What hospital prescribers can do

• Prescribe antibiotics only when needed, using your current antimicrobial treatment guidelines. (See Antimicrobial prescribing guidance and antibiograms)
• Check out the recommendations for using or avoiding antibiotics at Choosing Wisely. (See Choosing Wisely antibiotic messages)
• Talk to your patients about the importance of appropriate antibiotic use and the dangers of antibiotic resistance. (See Together we can keep antibiotics working and For consumers)
• Support multi-disciplinary hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes with your technical expertise.
• Use hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infections. (See HQSC hand hygiene resources)

What hospital pharmacists can do

• Talk to your patients and other health professionals about the importance of appropriate antibiotic use and the dangers of antibiotic resistance. (See Together we can keep antibiotics working and For consumers)
• Support other health professionals in using antimicrobial treatment guidelines. (See Antimicrobial prescribing guidance and antibiograms)
• Support multi-disciplinary hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes with your technical expertise.
• Use hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infections. (See HQSC hand hygiene resources)

What hospital nurses can do

• Use hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infections. (See HQSC hand hygiene resources)
• Talk to patients about how to prevent infections and their spread – including making sure they are vaccinated, good hand hygiene, safer sex and proper food handling.
• Talk to your patients and other health professionals about the importance of appropriate antibiotic use and the dangers of antibiotic resistance. (See Together we can keep antibiotics working and For consumers)
• Encourage the use of antimicrobial treatment guidelines. (See Antimicrobial prescribing guidance and antibiograms)

Find videos and other resources here.

Data sources

He Ako Hiringa 
He Ako Hiringa publishes three national data stories on key focus areas for primary care: topical antibiotics, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and antibiotics used for the treatment of urinary tract infections. Data current to last three months and updated quarterly.

ESR surveillance information
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) has an extensive surveillance programme on antimicrobial resistance.