The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) seeks support from the Federal Government to assist general practice efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Australia, according to a position statement released today.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel said interventions for addressing antibiotic resistance are important and the primary care sector has an important role to play in conjunction with government.
“On a national level, support from the Federal Government is needed to implement community education, clinical governance, education for GPs, infection control, outcomes measurements, and research for AMR in primary care,” Dr Seidel said.
“Antimicrobial stewardship programs are currently underdeveloped in general practice and require a more targeted approach away from the hospital-based method.
“Providing evidence-based interventions to support GPs in their prescribing decisions is the first step to employing an effective antimicrobial stewardship program.
“The RACGP is committed to helping GPs to deal with expectations, change management and the implementation of new initiatives to reduce antibiotic use where safe to do so.”
Dr Seidel said increasing awareness on a local level starts with a conversation between the patient and their GP.
“Support from Medicare for longer consultations could facilitate conversation with patients about antimicrobial resistance and alternative treatments,” Dr Seidel said.
“While some studies have raised the issue of public demand for antibiotics, GPs can consider patient requests for antibiotics as an opportunity to educate their patients on their clinical findings, natural history of the infective conditions, and appropriate use of antibiotics.
The RACGP has called for the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in general practice in its 2018-19 pre-budget submission.
Visit the RACGP website to read the position statement on antimicrobial stewardship.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel is available for interview.