Antibiotics in hospitals: prophylaxis and antibiotic stewardship

In the summer of 2013, the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport asked the Health Council for advice regarding the use of antibiotics in human health care. The Minister’s questions focused on two main issues. Firstly, the Minister asked the Health Council to address aspects of antibiotic therapy that may contribute to antibiotic resistance, with selective decontamination mentioned as a specific example. Secondly, the Minister requested advice about potential measures that may be implemented within the framework of the antibiotic stewardship programme deployed in Dutch hospitals and, additionally, about the utility and necessity of reserving certain antibiotics for specific cases.