Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to use antibiotics as well as we can to prevent and treat infections while minimising the harms that they can cause including adverse effects. These harms include the development of antibiotic resistance-when bacteria change to become resistant to the antibiotics we use.

While antibiotics are highly effective against bacterial infections, they have no effect on viral infections like common colds and the flu. All antibiotic use can contribute to antibiotic resistance, which poses a significant global health concern. For some infections that previously could be cured by several different antibiotics, we now only have only one or two antibiotics that are effective.

We need to maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations, just as we need to preserve the ozone layer that surrounds the earth, and ensure that we have access to clean, healthy water and food. To maintain the utility of antibiotics we need to use them only when they provide a significant benefit, and stop using them when they provide nil or very little benefit.