[Antibiotic use in general practice in Belgium and France: between collective factors and individual responsibility].

The mechanisms that might explain the antibiotic use in ambulatory practices go widely beyond microbiology and epidemiology. Sociocultural factors (help-seeking behaviour) and structural factors (liberal fee-for system), similar in France and Belgium, explain how an inappropriate health demand and an inappropriate supply are supporting each other, to keep the two countries high in European ranking. Beyond these collective factors of antibiotic use, the general practitioners' individual responsibility is also discussed.