Contribution of antimicrobial use surveillance to the prevention of resistance selection

Abstract

The spread of drug-resistant pathogens, especially multidrug resistant ones, dictates a reassessment of approaches to antimicrobials’ use in the Russian healthcare system. Antimicrobial pharmacotherapy surveillance providing healthcare specialists with up-to-date information is a crucial tool for predicting and controlling drug resistance dynamics, developing targeted antimicrobial stewardship strategies, and assessing the effectiveness of their implementation. This article provides information on the burden of antimicrobial resistance and the impact of antimicrobial use patterns on its’ selection, including misuse correction as a mean of prevention of resistance selection and spread. International and domestic practices of surveillance of the qualitative and quantitative aspects of antimicrobial use and the key current international surveillance projects are described.