Antimicrobial stewardship is a growing issue in the United States, highlighted by President Obama's recent executive order establishing a task force dedicated to combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
As more and more antibiotics are prescribed, often inappropriately, the drugs lose their efficacy, presenting a threat to public health and safety. What's more, antimicrobial stewardship programs could help reduce unnecessary healthcare spending. A study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found unnecessary antibiotic use — defined as administering at least two agents that protect against the same organism for at least two consecutive days during a hospitalization — exceeds $163 million in healthcare spend per year.
In addition to antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare-associated infections continue to pose threats to patients. The latest report from the American Journal of Infection Control found Clostridium difficile infections nearly doubled from 2001 to 2010, ending at an average of 8.2 infections per 1,000 total hospital discharges.
While these infection rates soared over the past decade, the good news is that in the last two years of the study, infection rates subtly dipped, which researchers suggest could be due to the adoption of antimicrobial stewardship programs in hospitals.
Reports of falling infection rates are promising, but the industry has a long way to go until it reaches the ultimate goal of zero preventable infections.
Learn more about best practices for antimicrobial stewardship programs and HAI prevention during a webinar hosted by Becker's Hospital Review and VigiLanz on Oct. 2 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT.
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