Antibiotic Smart Sweden is a collaborative initiative that aims to inspire and engage all parts of society in addressing antibiotic resistance. Its vision is a society where everyone helps to keep antibiotics working and saving lives. In mid-May, the initiative awarded “Antibiotic Smart” diplomas to 36 facilities, which join another 40 facilities that reached this milestone in 2025.
Celebrating the first four “Antibiotic Smart” hospitals in Sweden: Capio Saint Göran Hospital, Region Stockholm, Ryhov County Hospital, Region Jönköping County, Höglands Hospital Eksjö, Region Jönköping County and Värnamo Hospital, Region Jönköping County. Photo: Gunilla Skoog Ståhlgren, The Public Health Agency of Sweden.
Coordinated by several national partners, the initiative aims to identify practical ways to implement a whole-of-society approach to addressing antibiotic resistance. The model has proven effective for engagement, with over 90 sites participating in the pilot phase – during which antibiotic-smart criteria were developed and tested – and 76 organizations now meeting these criteria and receiving an “Antibiotic Smart” diploma.
One Health and sustainability
The initiative already engages a broad range of actors and societal services but has the ambition to continue in other areas as well, for example in the veterinary sector. A key principle is the One Health approach, recognizing the close links between human, animal and environmental health. Long-term sustainability is also central, ensuring that efforts to address antibiotic resistance are integrated into everyday practice and can be maintained over time.
Maria Pränting, Scientific Officer, ReAct Europe. Photo: Thomas Goecke
“Reaching over 70 Antibiotic Smart facilities is important because it shows that addressing antibiotic resistance is starting to be recognized as a shared societal responsibility. Preschools, schools, primary, elderly care facilities, water treatment organizations, health care centers, hospitals and local leadership contribute through practical, everyday actions.
We also see potential for sharing and developing the Antibiotic Smart model together with international partners, as antibiotic resistance is a global challenge that requires collaboration across sectors and countries”
says Maria Pränting, Scientific coordinator, ReAct Europe and part of the core team of Antibiotic Smart Sweden.
Four first hospitals awarded
On this occasion, the first hospitals in Sweden have been awarded the “Antibiotic Smart diploma”: three hospitals in Region Jönköping and Capio S:t Göran in Stockholm. The hospitals have carried out structured quality improvement efforts to prevent healthcare-associated infections, strengthen infection prevention, and promote responsible antibiotic use.
Their experiences also show how closer collaboration between hygiene teams, Strama groups and clinical staff have helped to make antibiotic resistance more a part of everyday patient safety work and less siloed.
How it started
Antibiotic Smart Sweden started in 2019 and works towards 3 overarching goals: Antibiotic Smart People, Antibiotic Smart Municipalities & Regions, and National and International Collaboration. At the core of the initiative is a framework with practical criteria co-developed with stakeholders to support antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention, tailored to different societal services and stakeholders. These criteria encourage commitment, provide guidance, and support implementation of existing good practices.
Antibiotic Smart Sweden is coordinated by the Public Health Agency of Sweden in cooperation with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Strama – the Swedish strategic programme against antibiotic resistance, the National Healthcare Hygiene Working Group and ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance, as well as several Swedish municipalities and regions.
