Antibiotic Utilization
Antibiotic utilization is a known driver of antibiotic resistance. A large proportion of antibiotic prescriptions are inappropriate, so efforts are needed to reduce the misuse and overuse of these important resources. 
Backgound
In 2000, a report from the Provincial Health Officer on “Antimicrobial Resistance: Recommended Action Plan for British Columbia” suggested that there needed to be increased awareness among the public and prescribers about the risks of antimicrobial resistance as well as the need to meet specific education and training requirements through collaboration with professional organizations.
To address some of these items, in the fall of 2005, funding was graciously provided by the Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health Services for British Columbia to adopt the Do Bugs Need Drugs? (DBND) program from the neighbouring province of Alberta.
2008 Antibiotic Utilization Report
An important component of program evaluation is surveillance of antibiotic consumption. Thus, this report has been generated to:
- determine trends in antibiotic use in BC
- evaluate the impact of the DBND program on these temporal trends
- illustrate that a stewardship program on prudent antibiotic use can have a substantial impact on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance at a provincial level.
Last Updated: August 5, 2011