A new position paper from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Infectious Diseases Society of America and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society outlines measures necessary to improve the use and ensure the impact of antibiotics on emerging healthcare-associated infections.
National antimicrobial stewardship initiatives recommended in the paper include:
• Incorporate antimicrobial resistance and AS into the curriculum for healthcare professionals to ensure that practicing providers are knowledgeable in these areas.
• Collect data on antimicrobial use in both inpatient and outpatient settings. These data are critical to monitor antibiotic use and its relationship to antibiotic resistance.
• Monitor AS initiatives in ambulatory and outpatient healthcare settings. SHEA, IDSA and PIDS encourage federal agencies to fund pilot projects designed to develop and implement AS programs in these settings, including expanded use of electronic health records.
Antimicrobial stewardship should be considered part of a multifaceted approach necessary to prevent, detect and control the emergence of antimicrobial resistant organisms. Other necessary components include developing new diagnostic tools and antibiotics to help healthcare providers rapidly and reliably detect and treat specific bacteria and resistant strains, the organizations said.
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