The appropriate use of antibiotics is a major public health issue. Long-term care facilities (LTCF) have an increased risk of infection in a vulnerable population. The SPOT 2025 survey revealed that 2.6 % of Swiss LTCF residents were taking antibiotics, rising to 5.9 % in the French-speaking region. To improve the prescription of antibiotics in nursing homes, the application of the revised McGeer criteria and the judicious use of diagnostic tests should be reinforced, particularly for urinary, respiratory, and skin infections, along with hygiene and infection prevention measures. Multimodal interventions (guidelines, training, feedback) can reduce overall antibiotic use by 14 % and should be assimilated and contextualized in nursing homes.
Prost-A-Petit et al. (Thu,) studied this question.