Promoting good antibiotic stewardship

An estimated 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths occur per year due to overprescribing of antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report.** The CDC is working to promote appropriate antibiotic prescribing through antibiotic stewardship. The CDC’s Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship** provides a set of principles to improve antibiotic use, protect patients and improve patient outcomes.

These principles include:

• Commitment
• Write and display commitments in support of antibiotic stewardship, such as placing a poster in the exam room.
• Action for policy and practice
• Use evidence-based diagnostic criteria and treatment recommendations.
• Use delayed prescribing practices when appropriate.
• Tracking and reporting
• Review antibiotic prescribing practices.
• Education and expertise
• Educate patients on when antibiotics are and aren’t needed, and their side effects with patient education materials.**

Antibiotic stewardship can help improve quality of patient care, slow the development of community antibiotic resistance and reduce avoidable adverse drug events caused by unnecessary use of antibiotics.

None of the information included in this article is meant to imply or intended to be considered that it’s professional medical advice for diagnosis and/or treatment.

**Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan doesn’t own or control this website.