- The Bug Watch study collected data a cohort of household residents in England
- Participants recorded common infection symptoms and use of healthcare services
- Bug Watch data tell us how often people go to the doctor and take antibiotics for their symptoms.
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Primary care
- General practice is often the first point of consultation for patients with signs of infection
- Three out of four of antibiotics in the UK are prescribed by general practitioners
- Reducing antibiotic prescribing in this setting can significantly reduce the population-wide
exposure
to antibiotics, but interventions in this setting have not been reviewed systematically.
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Secondary care
- Hospitals are responsible for 20% of the overall antibiotic use in the UK
- They play a critical role in the acquisition and antibiotic resistance and its export to community
settings
- Despite antibiotic stewardship programmes being well established in UK hospitals, there is still
evidence of antibiotic overuse.
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Care homes
- Care homes have a strong focus on preventing and controlling infection
- Antibiotic stewardship programmes are not common in care homes
- Care homes represent an important setting for research to optimise antibiotic use.
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