These guidelines are based on:
- Rarotonga Hospital microbiology laboratory results for culture isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, from records going back as far as 1996 and up to December 2021 (see Isolates and Antibiogram section)
- Recent international guidelines, including the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines, WHO AWaRe antibiotic book, US Sanford Guide, and New Zealand Starship Children’s Hospital guidelines
- The availability and cost of antibiotics in the Cook Islands
- Convenience and safety
- A low risk of antibiotic resistance in the future, in alignment with the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance, AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) antibiotic book and tool and 2021 Essential Medicines Lists for adults and children. If this Cook Islands antibiotic handbook is followed, the Cook Islands should meet the WHO target of more than 60% of antibiotics nationally being from WHO’s ACCESS list. This Cook Islands antibiotic handbook recommends no antibiotics from WHO’s RESERVE list
