On 9 December 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published the WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) Antibiotic Book. It aims to address one of the objectives of the Global Action Plan on AMR “Optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines” with a focus on antimicrobial medicines including antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and antiprotozoal medicines.

The book is a concise, evidence-based guide for choosing antibiotics, doses, routes of administration and duration of treatment for more than 30 of the most common clinical infections in children and adults, in both primary health care and hospital settings.

Empirical treatment guidelines are an important part of the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities in hospitals, and the existence of and compliance to local guidelines are important quality indicators evaluated in the Global-PPS. Up until now, however, easily accessible, evidence-based guidance from trusted sources has been lacking for many common infections in many countries, especially in low- and middle-income settings. The AWaRe antibiotic book is expected to be of particular value in those settings where WHO guidance might be the only high-quality information source available.

Overall, this book will be beneficial for AMS worldwide. For ease of use, the book is also available in the form of infographics and an online web application, which provides a quick-reference guide for health care professionals at the point of care.

Find out more here.