A final view to be considered is that of public health or the public good. This societal perspective, fueled by the goal of social good, encompasses entire populations, whether of towns, cities, countries, and even the entire world. As the goal here is to maximize health for the whole population, the time frame is usually long term. Since antimicrobial drugs enhance both prevention and treatment of infections, society considers them a valuable resource. As resistance diminishes this resource, a societal goal would be to minimize resistance and therefore the forces that produce resistance.
In the jargon of economics, antimicrobial agents are a scarce resource, that is, one in which consumption (current use) decreases its effectiveness (future value) (6). Any use of antimicrobial agents enhances the likelihood of resistance. From a societal viewpoint, then, appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs for treatment and prevention of infection would lead to an appropriate or acceptable decrease in the value of antimicrobial effectiveness. Conversely, overuse or misuse of antimicrobial drugs would create an inappropriate decrease in these resources. When treating one person leads to decreased effectiveness in treating the next person receiving the drug, society is affected adversely. This impact is often ignored because the short-term outcome and cost of drugs (for example, for perioperative prophylaxis) can be measured readily, and the detrimental effect on long-term usefulness is unquantified for most situations