New CDC Training on Antibiotic Stewardship
Antibiotics save lives, but any time antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects and lead to antibiotic resistance. At least 80 million antibiotic prescriptions each year are unnecessary in the U.S., which makes improving antibiotic prescribing and use a national priority.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Antibiotic Stewardship launched the first section of a four-part web-based training course on Antibiotic Stewardship.
While this course is primarily for clinicians who prescribe antibiotics, the CDC recognizes that everyone plays an important role in improving antibiotic use. Doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified health education specialists, nurses, pharmacists, and public health practitioners with a master’s degree in public health are all eligible to receive up to eight hours of CE from this course, which is accessible in multiple modules offered in four sections. The first section is available now, with additional content releasing later this year.
Course objectives for the first section include:
- Optimizing antibiotic prescribing and use to protect patients and combat the threat of antibiotic resistance,
- Informing healthcare professionals about proper antibiotic prescribing, and
- Encouraging open discussion among physicians and patients.
- Antibiotics save lives, but any time antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects and lead to antibiotic resistance. At least 80 million antibiotic prescriptions each year are unnecessary in the U.S., which makes improving antibiotic prescribing and use a national priority.
This new course launches on the heels of CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care educational effort—aimed at optimizing antibiotic prescribing and use to protect patients and combat the threat of antibiotic resistance—and informs healthcare professionals about proper antibiotic use, encouraging open discussion among doctors and patients.
