Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine, but the power is fading as bacteria become increasingly resistant. Overuse and misuse in everyday healthcare are major drivers of this problem. To help track and improve antibiotic use, the World Health Organization created the AWaRe system, which groups drugs into Access (safe first choices), Watch (higher resistance risk), and Reserve (last-resort options).
A 2024 Italian study applied this system to community antibiotic use across all 21 regions of the country.
The results painted a mixed picture: people in northern Italy used far fewer antibiotics than in the south, and only three regions met the WHO target of at least 60% Access-group use. Areas with higher overall consumption also tended to rely more on broad-spectrum drugs, which are more likely to fuel resistance.
The study highlights how simple tools like AWaRe can reveal regional patterns and weak spots in antibiotic stewardship. It also shows that using more medicine doesn’t mean better care, it often means less responsible prescribing.
To protect the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations, we need smarter policies, better education, and a stronger focus on responsible use at every level of healthcare.
