During Antibiotic Awareness Week, Launceston General Hospital pharmacists have been "fighting the resistance" in an effort to engage more consumers about antimicrobial stewardship.

A clinical term used to describe the act of making sure antibiotics are used wisely, LGH infectious disease physician Dr Ali Trad said it was very important patients were asking the right questions.

"This week is about raising the alarm a bit and to recognise that antibiotic resistance has become a threat," he said. "The problem with current antibiotics is eventually bugs will form resistance or learn how to fight back.

"Because antibiotics are based on natural products, sometime the bugs are already resistance to the antibiotic before it's been made.

"In Australia, or Tasmania even, we are very lucky not to have a big resistance problems. So we need to preserve that."

The World Health Organisation has recognised antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats facing human health. It occurs when microbes, such as bacteria, become resistant to the drugs used to treat them.

It results from the persistent overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both human and animal health care.

This week, infectious disease pharmacist Sarah Herd said the LGH team had put the emphasis of antibiotic resistance back on the consumer.

"We are trying to engage with consumers and get them to participate in the conversation around safe use of antibiotics," she said.

"Because it's everyone's business. In particular if patients have allergies to antibiotics, we really want them to report to the medical staff what the allergy is, when it happened, what sort of medical care they had to receive if any. That's really important."

Simple steps people can take in reducing antibiotic resistance include not asking for them to treat cold and flus, taking them correctly including complete doses, and practicing good hygiene to help prevent the spread of germs.

Dr Trad said there was no longer any room for complacency around the issue.

"It is a very real threat, and if there is a threat and you don't recognise it, eventually you will lose to it," he said.