Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.3233/JPI-140425
Antimicrobial resistance, prescribing and efficacy in children from the European to the global scene: From ARPEC to GARPEC
Subject Editor:
Publication History
24 August 2014
14 October 2014
Publication Date:
28 July 2015 (online)
Abstract
Data on antimicrobial resistance and prescribing in children are sparse in spite of the high consumption in this population. In order to bridge this gap, the Antimicrobial Resistance and Prescribing in European Children project (ARPEC), was launched in 2010. Through ARPEC data on antimicrobial prescribing were collected from over 200 hospitals and primary care sources, mostly in Europe. Antimicrobial resistance patterns for a number of sentinel pathogens were described and existing guidelines on antimicrobial prescribing assembled. Finally an education tool to improve prescribing in paediatrics was set up. The main legacy of ARPEC has been the fostering of successful collaborations between paediatricians across Europe and beyond, this has resulted into GARPEC, the global side of ARPEC, aimed not only at benchmarking antimicrobial resistance and prescribing worldwide but also at developing strategies to preserve antimicrobials in the face of increasing resistance.