{"id":3362,"date":"2026-11-05T14:52:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T14:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/health-social-care\/?p=3362"},"modified":"2026-11-05T14:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T14:53:15","slug":"what-is-antimicrobial-stewardship-and-why-does-it-matter-to-us-alll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/health-social-care\/2026\/11\/05\/what-is-antimicrobial-stewardship-and-why-does-it-matter-to-us-alll\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Antimicrobial Stewardship and why does it matter to us alll?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A long time ago, in a laboratory in North West London, a young scientist from a farm near Darvel in Ayrshire, Scotland, made a discovery that would change healthcare forever.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That scientist was Alexander Fleming. He noticed a mould growing on one of his laboratory plates that stopped bacteria from growing. He called this mould penicillin, the world’s first widely used antibiotic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections. They are part of a larger group of medicines called antimicrobials. This group also includes medicines that fight viruses, fungi and parasites.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Antibiotics help treat infections, make surgery safer, support cancer treatment and protect vulnerable people from serious illnesses. Because of antibiotics, many fewer people die from infections than they did 100 years ago. They have helped people around the world live longer and healthier lives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, when Sir Alexander Fleming accepted his Nobel Prize in 1945, he warned that antibiotics could stop working if they were not used properly. He said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops. Then there is the danger that people may not use it properly, exposing microbes to amounts that do not kill them and making them resistant.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nearly 100 years later, this warning has become real. Germs and microbes are becoming resistant to important medicines. This means infections are becoming harder to treat. It threatens healthcare, food production, the environment and many parts of everyday life. This is a problem that affects all of us, wherever we live.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that there are things we can all do to slow down antimicrobial resistance and help keep these medicines working. This is called <\/span>Antimicrobial Stewardship<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Antimicrobial Stewardship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) means taking good care of antimicrobial medicines.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a shared effort between healthcare professionals and the public to make sure these medicines are used safely, correctly and only when needed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Healthcare professionals support AMS by making sure the right patient gets the right medicine, at the right dose, at the right time, in the right way and for the right length of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AMS is about using antimicrobials wisely today so they will still work in the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AMS is not about refusing treatment. It is about making sure people get the best care possible while avoiding the unnecessary use of antimicrobials, which can make resistance worse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What should we do?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people think antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is only a problem for hospitals and healthcare staff. In fact, it affects everyone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine a world where:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n