CDC’s U.S. Antibiotic Awareness
Week Events:
Wednesday,
November 18 from 9-10 AM EST
- Join the Global
Twitter Storm.
Wednesday,
November 18 from 3 PM-4 PM EST
- Register here
for CDC/HRSA’s Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Activities in
Critical Access Hospitals webinar, presented by DHQP’s Dr. Arjun
Srinivasan and Erin O’ Leary, MPH. Leading experts will discuss the
implementation of antibiotic stewardship activities to measure and improve how
antibiotics are used.
Monday,
November 23 from 2:50 PM EST
- View DHQP
Director, Dr. Denise Cardo, who will be providing remarks on C. Diff prevention
and antibiotic awareness at the virtual C. Diff Foundation Patient
and Family Symposium.
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness
Week:
The
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) will be observed November 18-24, 2020. This annual
one-week observance highlights the steps everyone can take to improve
antibiotic prescribing and use.
Please
join the Texas DSHS in the fight against antibiotic resistance by becoming more
aware of actions to improve antibiotic prescribing and use (The Texas DSHS commissioner’s
invitation for healthcare providers to join the fight against antimicrobial
resistance). Simple actions such as posting the CDC's Be Antibiotics Aware
educational materials throughout your facilities or place of work will improve
awareness about
the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to effectively treat infections,
protect patients, and combat antibiotic resistance.
Sign-up
for the DSHS and the CDC e-mail listservs for news and updates on antibiotic
resistance and antibiotic use!
Check out CDC's updated USAAW Be Antibiotics Aware Partner toolkit, which contains key messages for both consumers and healthcare
professionals, social media content, graphics, and more to help you and your
organization prepare for USAAW.
Join
the Global Twitter Storm on Wednesday,
November 18 from 9-10 AM EST
Be on
the lookout for the following from CDC:
CDC
resources to use in observation of USAAW:
Be on
the lookout for new & updated CDC data & resources:
Key messages for patients
and families:
- Get the facts about antibiotics. Antibiotics do
not work on viruses, such as those that cause colds, flu, bronchitis, or runny
noses, even if the mucus is thick, yellow, or green. When antibiotics aren’t
needed, they won’t help you, and the side effects could still cause harm.
- Ask your healthcare professional about the most
appropriate treatment for you or your loved ones’ illness. If antibiotics are
not needed, ask about the best way to feel better while your body fights off
the virus.
- If you need antibiotics, take them exactly as
prescribed. Talk with your healthcare professional if you have any questions
about your antibiotics.
- Talk with your healthcare professional if you
develop any side effects, especially severe diarrhea, since that could be a Clostridioides
difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) infection, which needs to
be treated immediately.
- Do your best to stay healthy and keep others
healthy by cleaning hands by washing with soap and water for at least 20
seconds or using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol; covering
your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; staying home when
sick; and getting recommended vaccines, such as the flu vaccine.
Key messages for healthcare
professionals:
- Only prescribe antibiotics when they are
clinically indicated. Antibiotics are only needed to treat certain infections
caused by bacteria, not viruses like SARS-CoV-2. You can do harm by prescribing
antibiotics when they are not needed.
- Follow clinical guidelines on how best to
evaluate and treat infections.
- Optimizing the use of diagnostic tests is
critical for improving treatment of conditions like sepsis and stopping the
spread of infections, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2.
- Always prescribe the right antibiotic, at the
right dose, for the right duration, and at the right time.
- Using
the shortest effective duration of antibiotic therapy is a key antibiotic
stewardship strategy in all health care settings. The goal is to optimize the
treatment of the infection while minimizing the risks of side effects from
antibiotics and antibiotic resistance.
- Only prescribe antibiotics when they are needed.
You can do harm by prescribing antibiotics that aren’t needed.
- Tell your patients why they don’t need
antibiotics for a viral respiratory infection, what to do to feel better, and
when to seek care again if they don’t feel better.
- Talk to your patients and their families about
possible harms from antibiotics, such as allergic reactions, C. difficile,
and antibiotic-resistant infections.
- Educate your patients and their families to
recognize the signs and symptoms of worsening infection and sepsis, and to know
when to seek medical care.
- If sepsis is suspected, gather patient
information and immediately communicate it to hospital healthcare
professionals. Antibiotics should be started as soon as possible when sepsis is
suspected.
Key messages for inpatient & long-term healthcare professionals:
- Antibiotics are only needed to treat certain
infections caused by bacteria, not viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Only prescribe
antibiotics when they are clinically indicated. You can do harm by prescribing
antibiotics when they are not needed.
- Patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria should not be treated with antibiotics in most cases.
- Optimizing the use of diagnostic tests is
critical for improving treatment of conditions like sepsis and stopping the
spread of infections, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2.
- Always remember to prescribe the right
antibiotic, at the right dose, for the right duration, and at the right time.
- Reassess
antibiotic therapy to stop or tailor treatment based on the patient/resident’s
clinical condition and diagnostic test results as appropriate.
- Use
of the shortest effective duration of antibiotic therapy is a key antibiotic
stewardship strategy. Optimizing duration of therapy, especially in care
transitions, is an important target for improvement.
Key messages for outpatient healthcare professionals:
- Antibiotics are only needed to treat certain
infections caused by bacteria, not viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Only prescribe
antibiotics when they are clinically indicated. You can do harm by prescribing
antibiotics when they are not needed.
- Tell your patients why they don’t need
antibiotics for a viral respiratory infection, what to do to feel better, and
when to seek care again if they don’t feel better.
- Always prescribe the right antibiotic, at the
right dose, for the right duration, and at the right time.
- Using
the shortest effective duration of antibiotic therapy is a key antibiotic
stewardship strategy in all health care settings. The goal is to optimize the
treatment of the infection while minimizing the risks of side effects from
antibiotics and antibiotic resistance.
- Talk to patients and their families about
possible harms from antibiotics, such as allergic reactions, C. difficile.
and antibiotic-resistant infections.
- Educate your patients and their families to
recognize the signs and symptoms of worsening infection and sepsis, and to know
when to seek medical care.
- If sepsis is suspected, gather patient
information and immediately communicate it to hospital healthcare
professionals. Antibiotics should be started as soon as possible when sepsis is
suspected.
