The antibiotic knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of patients, doctors and pharmacists in the WHO Eastern European region - a qualitative, comparative analysis of the culture of antibiotic use in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan.

Background: To reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), initiatives such as surveillance activities and activities to increase knowledge about how and why antibiotics (ABs) are (mis)used are needed. More surveillance systems are in place in the WHO Western European region than in the Eastern region, and only sparse knowledge exists about the current culture of AB use in the Eastern European countries.

Objective: To investigate AB knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in countries in the WHO Eastern European region in order to identify overall similarities and differences across the region and how AB knowledge, attitudes and behavior patterns may be influenced by the national health care system.

Antibiotic use profile at paediatric clinics in two transitional countries.

Purpose: In this study, we evaluated antibiotic utilisation pattern at two paediatric clinics in different European (transitional) countries: Croatia (Rijeka) and Russia (Smolensk).

Methods: Antibiotic utilisation during the year 2000 was observed using the ATC/defined daily doses (DDD) methodology (ATC code-J01). Drug-usage data was expressed in numbers of DDD/100 bed-days and the DU90% profile.