Be Antibiotics Aware Partner Toolkit | U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week | CDC

Be Antibiotics Aware Partner Toolkit | U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week | CDC

The Effort Continues: What Are You Doing to Improve Prescribing and Use?

During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week this week, people  around the world united in raising awareness around  antibiotic prescribing and use. The annual observance is  coming to an end, but CDC’s work will not stop, and we  need your help to keep the momentum going!

It is important that everyone know: Antibiotics save lives and are critical tools for treating bacterial infections, like those that can lead to sepsis. Anytime antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects and can lead to antibiotic resistance. When antibiotics aren’t needed—like for colds and flu—they won’t help, and their side effects could cause harm.

Did you miss it? Check out these NEW CDC resources:

• Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs, which incorporates recent literature and best practices to improve antibiotic prescribing in hospitals.
  
• Be Antibiotics Aware posters that highlight key stewardship interventions for hospital pharmacists.
  
• Safe Healthcare Blog authored by Laurel Stoimenoff, CEO of the Urgent Care Association (UCA), that highlights UCA’s work to improve antibiotic prescribing in urgent care facilities.
  
• Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019, which lists 18 bacteria and fungi based on level of concern to human health.
  
• CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal, which includes new 2017 U.S. outpatient antibiotic prescription data and 2018 U.S. hospital uptake of CDC’s Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs data.

CDC is dedicated to improving antibiotic prescribing and use  to effectively treat infections, protect patients, and combat antibiotic  resistance. Thank you for participating in this important week.  Together, we can make a difference.