A systematic approach to improving antimicrobial use, with a view to improving clinical outcomes and minimising adverse events relating to their use
Six monthly antimicrobial utilisation reports
In addition to the six monthly reports below, National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program (NAUSP) also produces detailed annual reports showing usage of an expanded number of antimicrobials both nationally and in individual Australian public and private hospitals in a de-identified manner.
NAUSP definitions
Prior to January 2021, total-hospital acute usage rates included usage in the emergency department and operating theatres. Usage in these areas will now be reported separately relative to patient presentations (replacing occupied bed days as a measure of patient activity), and are not included in total-hospital (or non-Critical Care) from January 2021.
COVID-19
Some usage rates fluctuated markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBDs dropped markedly for some hospitals in some months, with consequential increases in reported usage rates. Usage rates should be interpreted with caution as they reflect the quantity of antimicrobials distributed or dispensed from pharmacy and not actual consumption at patient level. Some hospitals were unable to submit complete data for some months due to the impact of COVID-19 on staffing capacity.
National aggregated reports
July 2022 to June 2024
This 2-year longitudinal report includes aggregated usage by all contributors for both total hospital use and Critical Care (including Intensive Care and High Dependency Units) use.
All contributing hospitals national aggregated report (PDF 1.08MB)
Benchmarking reports by state/territory (total acute usage rates, excluding emergency and theatre)
January 2024 to June 2024
These six-monthly reports allow contributors to compare their usage of each antibacterial class with other hospitals within their state or territory.
- New South Wales and ACT with hospital data de-identified (PDF 365KB)
- Queensland and Northern Territory with hospital data de-identified (PDF 376KB)
- South Australia with hospital data de-identified (PDF 230KB)
- Victoria with hospital data de-identified (PDF 379KB)
- Western Australia with hospital data de-identified (PDF 379KB)
- Tasmania with hospital data de-identified (PDF 258KB)
Benchmarking reports by state/territory (Emergency Department)
January 2024 to June 2024
For hospitals able to submit Emergency Department (ED) usage data, these reports allow contributors to benchmark their ED usage rates with other hospitals in their state/territory.
- New South Wales and ACT emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 250KB)
- Queensland and Northern Territory emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 311KB)
- South Australia emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 262KB)
- Victoria emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 271KB)
- Western Australia emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 257KB)
- Tasmania emergency department benchmarking report (PDF 314KB)
Benchmarking reports by peer group (Critical Care Unit)
For hospitals able to submit usage data for their Critical Care Unit, these reports allow contributors to benchmark their Critical Care usage rates (Intensive Care and/or High Dependency Units) with other hospitals in their AIHW peer group.
- Principal Referral critical care unit benchmarking report (PDF 213KB)
- Acute Group A critical care unit benchmarking report (PDF 242KB)
- Acute Group B critical care unit benchmarking report (PDF 236KB)
- Acute Group C and Women's critical care unit benchmarking report (PDF 209KB)
Antifungal benchmarking reports by state/territory
These six-monthly reports allow contributors to compare their antifungal usage rates with other hospitals within their state or territory. Usage rates of antifungals are highly dependent on the casemix (e.g. haematology/oncology or transplant services) and acuity of the hospital.
- New South Wales and ACT antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 205KB)
- Queensland and Northern Territory antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 187KB)
- South Australia antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 181KB)
- Victoria antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 191KB)
- Western Australia antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 182KB)
- Tasmania antifungal benchmarking report (PDF 178KB)
Contributor reports from the NAUSP portal
Hospitals contributing to NAUSP can download reports directly from the NAUSP portal showing longitudinal usage rates for their individual hospitals. These contain charts comparing the individual hospital’s usage compared to the average usage at similarly peered hospitals. Hospitals that contribute usage data for particular specialties/locations can access usage reports for critical care, haematology/oncology, respiratory and obstetrics/gynaecology.
Disclaimer
Usage rates reported in previously published NAUSP reports may differ from current reports. The Defined Daily Dose (DDD) values for some commonly used antimicrobials were changed by the WHO in January 2019. Due to these changes, usage rates in more recently published reports may not be directly comparable with prior reports that utilised the former DDD values for the analysis. In addition to amendments to WHO DDDs, rates may differ as a result of retrospective data adjustments or varying numbers of hospitals contributing to aggregated data.
Acknowledgement
The Australian Department of Health provides funding for the administration of NAUSP and the analyses of NAUSP data and related reports for the AURA Surveillance System.
Citation
Unless otherwise stated within a report, please attribute the reports found on this webpage (and any material sourced from them) using the following citation:
National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program. [insert report title]. Adelaide: SA Health; [insert year of publication].
Further reading
- Hillock N, Connor E, Wilson C, Kennedy B, Comparative analysis of Australian hospital antimicrobial utilization, using the WHO AWaRe classification system and the adapted Australian Priority Antimicrobial List (PAL), JAC — Antimicrobial Resistance; 2021; Volume 3, Issue 1
- Danish antimicrobial usage surveillance reports (DANMAP)
- Swedish antimicrobial usage surveillance reports (SWEDRES)
- Netherlands antimicrobial usage surveillance reports (NethMap)
- UK antimicrobial usage surveillance reports (ESPAUR)
Further information
For further information on National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program, contact the Program Coordinator.