PREVIEW: Antibiotic stewardship: Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotics

Below are the database queries which are used to create this measure. These are run against a copy of the BSA prescribing data which we store in Google BigQuery. We're working on making our BigQuery tables publicly available at which point it will be possible to run and modify these queries yourself. But even where code and database queries are not directly useable by others we believe it is always preferable to make them public.

Description Prescription items for Watch and Reserve group antibiotics as a percentage of total prescription items for Access, Watch and Reserve antibiotics.
Why it matters

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has adapted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) AWaRe classification to develop the UK-AWaRe antibiotic classification, taking into account antibiotic resistance profiles, antibiotic prescribing and stewardship practice in the UK. The classification groups antibiotics into four categories: Access, Watch, Reserve and Other, to support appropriate prescribing and promote effective antimicrobial stewardship.

  • Access antibiotics are generally narrow-spectrum and associated with a lower risk of resistance. They are recommended as first or second choice options for common infections and should be readily available.
  • Watch antibiotics are broader-spectrum with a higher resistance potential. Their use should be limited to specific indications and monitored closely.
  • Reserve antibiotics are last-line treatments, often reserved for severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms. These medicines require strict oversight to maintain their effectiveness.

Monitoring the use of Watch and Reserve antibiotics can help identify areas to improve prescribing, encouraging the appropriate use of Access antibiotics where clinically suitable, and ensuring that higher-risk antibiotics are used only when necessary.
Tags
Implies cost savings No
History View change history on GitHub →

Numerator SQL

SELECT
     CAST(month AS DATE) AS month,
     practice AS practice_id,
     SUM(p.items) AS numerator
 FROM measures.vw__aware_abx p
 WHERE p.aware IN ('Watch', 'Reserve')
 GROUP BY month, practice_id

Denominator SQL

SELECT
     CAST(month AS DATE) AS month,
     practice AS practice_id,
     SUM(p.items) AS denominator
 FROM measures.vw__aware_abx p
 WHERE p.aware IN ('Access', 'Watch', 'Reserve')
 GROUP BY month, practice_id
Feedback