The misuse of antibiotics has contributed to one of the world's most pressing public health problems today — antibiotic resistance. Each year, in just the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result of these infections.
The Centers for Disease Control's annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week will be observed during November 14-20, 2016. The FDA has teamed up with the CDC and other health care agencies, plus government, academic and industry partners as part of a joint effort to encourage proper antibiotic stewardship. This is happening nationally and internationally. The one-week observance raises awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use.
The problem is using antibiotics when they are not needed can do more harm than good. Widespread, inappropriate use of antibiotics is fueling an increase in drug-resistant bacteria, and sick individuals aren't the only people who can suffer the consequences. Families and entire communities feel the impact when disease-causing germs become resistant to antibiotics.
The overuse of an antibiotic gives a boost to drug-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Almost every type of bacteria has become stronger and less responsive to antibiotic treatment when it is really needed. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria can quickly spread to family members, school mate and co-workers — threatening the community with a new strain of infectious disease that is more difficult to cure and more expensive to treat. Americans of all ages can lower the risk of antibiotic resistance by talking to their doctors and using antibiotics appropriately during this cold and flu season.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System has developed an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) committee, which has been working to update several protocols, data collection and education to improve the appropriate use of antibiotics. The members of the committee include various professional healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists. The ASP committee is not working just in the hospital, but it is also working with physicians and healthcare workers in the community.
Patients, healthcare providers, hospital administrators and policy makers must work together to use effective strategies for improving antibiotic use, ultimately improving medical care and saving lives.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/getsmart.
