title: Antibiotic Control Policies in South Korea, 2000-2013.
abstract: Antibiotic stewardship is a key strategy for limiting antibiotic resistance. Over the last decade the South Korean government has implemented a series of healthcare policies directed to this end, consisting of legislative separation of drug prescribing and dispensing, antibiotic utilization reviews, healthcare quality assessment, and public reporting. As a result, the proportion of antibiotic prescriptions for acute upper respiratory tract infections in primary healthcare facilities decreased from 72.9% in 2002 to 42.7% in 2013. However, no significant decrease in antibiotic resistance occurred over the same period in clinically important bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. These government-driven policies played a pivotal role in improving antibiotic use for outpatients and surgical patients in South Korea. However, to achieve long-lasting successful outcomes, coordinated efforts and communications among the stakeholders, including physicians and medical societies, are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Sanggye-Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Baek Nam
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5551-2132
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong Bin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6262-372X
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. mdohmd@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Myoung Don
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2344-7695
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Oh
keywords: Bacterial drug resistance; Drug utilization review; Health care quality assurances; Health policy; Inappropriate prescribing