[2021 National Audit] Domestic Human Antibiotic Prescription Rate Ranks Third Highest Among OECD Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] South Korea's human antibiotic usage ranks third highest among OECD countries, following Greece and Turkey. There are calls to curb unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions to prevent antibiotic resistance caused by this.

Nam In-soon, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 20th, "According to data submitted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), in 2019, South Korea's human antibiotic usage was 26.1 DID, ranking third highest among 29 OECD countries after Greece and Turkey."

DID refers to the average maintenance dose per day for a 70 kg adult, based on the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) unit used to measure drug consumption. It indicates how many DDDs are consumed per 1,000 people per day. South Korea's 2019 figure of 26.1 DID means that 2.61% of the population takes antibiotics daily. Although domestic antibiotic usage has steadily declined from 30.3 DID in 2016 to 26.1 DID in 2019, it is still considered high.

Nam said, "According to a 2016 antibiotic resistance research report published in the UK, by 2050, there is a warning that one person could die from superbugs every 3 seconds due to antibiotic resistance," adding, "Since the KDCA's National Institute of Health was designated this year as a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating center for antibiotic resistance surveillance, it should systematically operate antibiotic resistance monitoring and take the lead in overcoming the antibiotic resistance crisis." The KDCA's National Institute of Health was designated as the WHO 'Antibiotic Resistance Standards and One Health Research Collaborating Center' and held a plaque ceremony in March. It will serve as a WHO collaborating center in antibiotic resistance surveillance and quality evaluation for four years until February 2025.

Nam explained, "According to data submitted by the KDCA, a 2019 study found that 26.1% of antibiotics prescribed in 75 hospitals were inappropriate." By prescription type, 22.3% of therapeutic prescriptions, 25.8% of internal preventive antibiotics, and 37.7% of preoperative preventive antibiotics were identified as inappropriate.

Doctors who prescribe antibiotics also recognize that antibiotics are being overused. Nam said, "According to a survey conducted last year among medical institution doctors on 'Antibiotic Resistance Awareness and Practice,' 35% responded with 'somewhat agree' and 45% with 'strongly agree' regarding excessive antibiotic use." This means nearly 80% of frontline doctors believe antibiotics are being overprescribed.

Nam In-soon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Nam said, "While most doctors think antibiotics are overused, they also feel there is a lack of proper education or information about antibiotic use," adding, "It is necessary to actively conduct education and campaigns to suppress unnecessary antibiotic use and promote rational prescriptions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.