In a new study, researchers have provided guidance about how much antibiotics can safely be prescribed for patients.
The findings may help prevent resistant superbugs.
This is the first guidance about the amount of antibiotics patients should use.
The research was led by NHS Grampian in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen.
It is known that antibiotics play a crucial role in healthcare.
However, overuse can make bacteria become resistant to drugs and lead to the rise of superbugs.
Currently, there has been no guidance about the most beneficial amount of antibiotics without developing superbugs.
The common idea is ‘the fewer antibiotics the better’, but it is not the correct approach to use antibiotics effectively.
In the current study, the team used computer modeling to analyze the beneficial/risk ratios of several types of antibiotics.
They used data from a variety of different clinical populations in five major hospitals in Europe.
The results showed the maximum levels of antibiotics patients that can be used without causing drug-resistant superbugs.
The team hopes their work can offer a way to balance the need to use antibiotics with the need to stop resistance.
The lead author of the study is Professor Ian Gould, Honorary Professor at the University of Aberdeen.
The study is published in Nature Microbiology.
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