Confronting the problem of increasing antibiotic resistance

Significant increases in prevalence of resistance to antibiotics have been observed in common pathogens of humans in the United States and worldwide. The consequences of the appearance and spread of antibiotic resistance have included increasing morbidity, mortality, and cost of health care, The fun damental cause for the appearance and spread of antimicrobial resistance ha s been increasing antimicrobial use. However, other factors contribute in b oth inpatient and outpatient settings. Recognizing the important causes of increasing antibiotic resistance in these settings has led to practical rec ommendations, which health care facilities and outpatient practitioners wil l need to review, adapt, and apply for maximum local effectiveness for prog ress to be made in addressing one of the most challenging problems facing m odern medicine.