Our mandate is to promote a rational and limited use of antibiotics in primary healthcare, thereby reducing the development of antibiotic resistance in Norway.
The center has three main tasks:
- Professional development and quality assurance of antibiotic use in primary healthcare.
- Information work aimed at the population about antibiotics and resistance.
- Participation in primary, secondary and postgraduate education of general practionser and other health personnel.
ASP is also responsible for the continuous revision and implementation of the National Professional Guidelines for the use of antibiotics in primary healthcare, in collaboration with the Norwegian Directorate of Health. This is a very important task for the center.
The center was given responsibility for two major interventions, RAK (Riktigere antibiotikabruk i kommunene; Correct Antibiotic use in the Municipalities) and RASK (Riktigere antibiotikabruk for sykehjem i kommunene; Prudent Antibiotic use for Municipal Nursing Homes), aimed at general practitioners and nursing homes respectively, in connection with the Action Plan Against Antibiotic Resistance in Healthcare (2016). RAK is now established as a permanent quality improvement program in collaboration with SKIL (Center for Quality in Medical Services), while work is ongoing to establish RASK as a permanent antibiotic management program. We are also in the process of developing and establishing similar programs for emergency services, specialist agreements, and dentists.
Previously, research was also part of the center's tasks, but it is no longer part of our mandate. All research activity is therefore externally funded and carried out by the research group Infections and Antibiotics, which is affiliated with ASP.