The NPSMedicinewise 2014-2015 Annual Report was released this week listing the achievements the organisation has made in improving the health of Australians. NPSMedicinewise is active in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and have successfully improved the use of antimicrobials in Australia over this time period.

These successes include:

• Reaching over 750,000 people via social media during Antibiotic Awareness Week in 2014
• Advertising during the Antibiotics Winter Campaign 2015 saw 46% of people who saw the advertisement knowing that antibiotic use for colds & flu can result in antibiotic resistance spreading compared with 33% of people who hadn’t seen the advertising

A survey conducted during this time showed a reduction in the number of patients requesting antibiotics for colds & flu from 17 to 13%.

Some victories in the fight against antimicrobial resistance!