Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(4):229-237

Mathematical Models for the Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

Bonovas S.¹, Panagiotakos D.B.², Charalambides C.³, Vatopoulos A.¹

¹ Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Athens

² Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, University of Athens

³ Department of Mathematics, School of Science, University of Athens, Greece

As the appearance and spread of antibiotic resistance is becoming an increasingly serious public health problem, there is a definite need for further studies by simulation, experiment and observation. Mathematical models may provide very useful tools to develop a rationale to extend the effective life of existing and newly introduced antimicrobial agents. In this work we systematically reviewed a number of mathematical models recently presented in the literature, in order to provide a brief and informative tool for public health policy makers, regarding the spread of antibiotic resistance, worldwide.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance, mathematical models

Published: December 1, 2003  Show citation