South Korea’s ambitious initiative to curb antibiotic resistance through a national antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) is faltering due to widespread staffing shortages. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s ambitious initiative to curb antibiotic resistance through a national antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) is faltering due to widespread staffing shortages, with more than half of eligible hospitals unable to participate, a new government-commissioned report has found.
The study, conducted by Hanyang University’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, surveyed 153 hospitals with over 300 beds.
Only 71 hospitals — or 46.4% — were participating in the pilot ASP program, while 82 (53.6%) had opted out, primarily citing a lack of dedicated personnel.
Among non-participating hospitals, 79.5% pointed to a shortage of ASP-dedicated staff as the main obstacle. Additional barriers included physician (60.2%) and pharmacist (57.8%) shortages, underscoring systemic workforce constraints in implementing national health protocols.
The report highlights growing concern over a “rich-get-richer” divide in antibiotic management: hospitals participating in the ASP demonstrated significantly higher standards in antibiotic stewardship.
For example, 84.5% of participating institutions had internal antibiotic guidelines, compared to just 38% of non-participants. All ASP hospitals employed restricted-use antibiotic programs, versus only 56.6% of their counterparts.
Disparities were even sharper in proactive monitoring and intervention. Nearly 60% of ASP hospitals revised prescriptions based on microbiological test results, whereas less than 10% of non-ASP hospitals did the same.
Additionally, 100% of participating hospitals reported data to the national KONAS antibiotic usage system, compared to only 23.2% of non-participating institutions.
Still, the report noted progress in perceptions. Compared to a 2020 baseline, more physicians now view ASP as compatible with clinical autonomy, suggesting improving acceptance in the medical community.
To evaluate program effectiveness going forward, researchers proposed a set of performance indicators, including total antibiotic days per 1,000 patients, reduction in use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics in surgery.
While the pilot program has led to measurable improvements where implemented, the report urged the government to address critical staffing gaps through targeted policy and resource support to ensure the ASP’s national rollout can be both equitable and effective.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
