Table 2 MEDLINE search strategy

Antibiotic use

1. Anti-Bacterial Agents/

2. Anti-infective Agents/

3. 1 or 2

4. ((antibiotic? or alamethicin? or amdinocillin? or amdinocillin pivoxil? or amikacin? or amoxicillin? or amoxicillin-potassium clavulanate combination? or amphotericin? or ampicillin? or anisomycin? or antimycin? or aurodox? or azithromycin? or azlocillin? or aztreonam? or bacitracin? or bacteriocin? or bambermycin? or bongkrekic acid? or brefeldin? or butirosin sulfate? or calcimycin? or candicidin? or capreomycin? or carbenicillin? or carfecillin? or cefaclor? or cefadroxil? or cefamandole? or cefatrizine? or cefazolin? or cefixime? or cefmenoxime? or cefmetazole? or cefonicid? or cefoperazone? or cefotaxime? or cefotetan? or cefotiam? or cefoxitin? or cefsulodin? or ceftazidime? or ceftizoxime? or ceftriaxone? or cefuroxime? or cephacetrile? or cephalexin? or cephaloglycin? or cephaloridine? or cephalosporin? or cephalothin? or cephamycin? or cephapirin? or cephradine? or chloramphenicol? or chlortetracycline? or citrinin? or clarithromycin? or clavulanic acid? or clavulanic acid? or clindamycin? or cloxacillin? or colistin? or cyclacillin? or dactinomycin? or daptomycin? or demeclocycline? or dibekacin? or dicloxacillin? or dihydrostreptomycin sulfate? or diketopiperazine? or distamycin? or doxycycline? or echinomycin? or edeine? or enviomycin? or erythromycin? or erythromycin estolate? or erythromycin ethylsuccinate? or filipin? or floxacillin? or fluoroquinolone? or fosfomycin? or framycetin? or fusidic acid? or gentamicin? or gramicidin? or hygromycin? or imipenem? or josamycin? or kanamycin? or kitasamycin? or lactam? or lasalocid? or leucomycin? or lincomycin? or lincosamide? or lucensomycin? or lymecycline? or mepartricin? or methacycline? or methicillin? or mezlocillin? or mikamycin? or minocycline? or miocamycin? or moxalactam? or mupirocin? or mycobacillin? or nafcillin? or natamycin? or nebramycin? or neomycin? or netilmicin? or netropsin? or nigericin? or nisin? or norfloxacin? or novobiocin? or nystatin? or ofloxacin? or oleandomycin? or oligomycin? or oxacillin? or oxytetracycline? or paromomycin? or penicillanic acid? or penicillic acid? or penicillin?? or piperacillin? or pivampicillin? or polymyxin b? or polymyxin? or pristinamycin? or prodigiosin? or ribostamycin? or rifabutin? or rifamycin? or ristocetin? or rolitetracycline? or roxarsone? or roxithromycin? or rutamycin? or sirolimu? or sisomicin? or spectinomycin? or spiramycin? or streptogramin?? or streptomycin? or streptovaricin? or sulbactam? or sulbenicillin? or sulfamerazine? or sulfamethoxypyridazine? or talampicillin? or teicoplanin? or tetracycline? or thiamphenicol? or thienamycin? or thiostrepton? or ticarcillin? or tobramycin? or troleandomycin? or tunicamycin? or tylosin? or tyrocidine? or tyrothricin? or valinomycin? or vancomycin? or vernamycin? or viomycin? or virginiamycin? or beta-lactams) adj2 (use* or misuse or consume or consumption or intake or dose or dosage or prescription* or prescrib* or overprescrib* or sale* or rate*)).ab,ti.

5. 3 and 4

Change/impact

6. (adjust* or alter* or change or changes or changing or control* or decreas* or limit* or modify or modified or modifying or reduce or reducing or reduction* or restrict* or appropriate or inappropriate or rational* or irrational*).ab,ti.

Policy

7. exp. policy/

8. exp. policy making/

9. exp. legislation as Topic/

10. exp. Government/

11. Government Regulation/

12. (program* or campaign* or policy or policies or guideline* or ban or banned or Regulat* or law or laws or prohibit* or restrict* or legislat* or report* or tax* or audit* or formular* or expenditure* or spending or label* or market* or advertis* or consultation*).ab,ti.

13. (health$ adj2 (policy or policies or planning or priorit$)).ab,ti.

14. 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13

15. 5 and 6 and 14

Humans only

16. exp. animals/ not humans.sh.

17. 15 not 16