RATIONAL USE OF ANTIBIOTICS AND THE FIGHT AGAINST BACTERIAL RESISTANCE: AN EXPANDED REVIEW

Abstract

Bacterial resistance poses a growing threat to global public health, aggravated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics in clinical practice, self-medication, and agricultural activities. This study presents a comprehensive, integrative, and critical review of the rational use of antimicrobials, encompassing resistance mechanisms, clinical, epidemiological, environmental, and social impacts. The study methodology was thoroughly examined, incorporating explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, a detailed search strategy, and a description of methodological limitations. The results reinforce that tackling antimicrobial resistance requires coordinated actions between epidemiological surveillance, professional education, public policies, health regulation, technological development, and the One Health approach. It is concluded that only the integration of human, animal, and environmental health is capable of mitigating the advancement of the phenomenon and preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics in the future.