In short
Antibiotics are lifesaving medicines, but using them too often or incorrectly makes them less effective. This project looks at how antibiotics are prescribed and used outside hospitals in Belgium. By better understanding this, we can help fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and protect everyone’s health.
Project description
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health threat, largely driven by inappropriate use of antibiotics. Monitoring antimicrobial consumption (AMC) is crucial to detect problematic prescribing patterns and guide interventions.
Belgium contributes annually to ESAC-Net (European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network), coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). ESAC-Net uses a standardized methodology to collect AMC data across countries. However, it provides only aggregated national data—overall antibiotic consumption in the community and hospital sectors—without insights into prescriber types, patient profiles, or geographic variations. This limits its value for informing national and regional policies.
The AMC-PRIM project aims to establish a detailed surveillance of antibiotic prescribing and use in Belgium’s ambulatory care sector. Using reimbursement data from the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI), we will describe prescribing patterns by general practitioners, dentists, and specialists, and analyse consumption according to patient characteristics (age, sex, postal code). As these data cover only reimbursed prescriptions, we will use IQVIA sales data, which include non-reimbursed antibiotics, to estimate total antibiotic consumption more comprehensively.
Expected outcomes include:
- Identification of high-prescribing groups or regions,
- Recommendations for improving monitoring systems, including coverage of non-reimbursed and imported products,
- Support for targeted awareness campaigns and stewardship interventions.
This project will provide actionable national data, complement ESAC-Net outputs, and strengthen Belgium’s efforts against AMR.
