editor posted on April 05, 2011 10:35
As part of its Best Care Always Campaign Arwyp Medical Centre is encouraging its staff members to realise that each of them can help to combat the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics are the most powerful tool we have to combat life-threatening bacterial diseases but increased antibiotic resistance is compromising the effectiveness of antibiotics. Effective strategies must be utilised to improve appropriate antibiotic use to ultimately save lives. Resistant bacteria have the potential to spread thus promoting antibiotic resistant infections. Appropriate use of existing antibiotics can limit the spread of antibiotic resistance preserving antibiotics for the future.
Antibiotic resistance is associated with increased hospitalisation and mortality. Currently, of the patients receiving antibiotics, three out of four will receive unnecessary or redundant therapy.
In order to make appropriate antibiotic use in the hospital a quality improvement programme all Arwyp healthcare providers, namely specialists, doctors, pharmacists and nursing staff, can help to alleviate the problem by each doing his or her their part regarding the following:
• Utilize antibiotics only when indicated
• Prescribe the correct antibiotic
• Never treat viral syndromes with antibiotics
• Explain to the patient why an antibiotic isn’t needed
• Identify the patient’s expectations regarding antibiotics
• Recommend specific symptomatic therapy for viral upper respiratory infections
• Pharmacists should counsel patients on appropriate antibiotic use, antibiotic resistance and adverse effects
• It is not usually necessary to give two antibiotics to treat the same bacteria. Avoid unnecessary overlaps.
• Refine antibiotic choice once the pathogen causing the infection has been identified
• Reduce unnecessary antibiotic use to decrease resistance