Nationally, studies have shown that up to 50 percent of antibiotic use is inappropriate. Improved stewardship efforts are critical to ensuring that the right drug, if any, is used at the right time and in the right way.
Antibiotic resistance and the need to control multidrug-resistant organisms, particularly in health care settings, are among the major issues confronting health care providers today. With studies showing that up to 50 percent of antibiotic use is inappropriate, antibiotic stewardship was made a federal priority as well; the Obama administration announced a National Action Plan on the issue in March 2015.
Building on the success of its earlier patient safety and quality improvement work, United Hospital Fund has created, both independently and in partnership with the Greater New York Hospital Association, major initiatives aimed at combating the rise of antibiotic-resistant organisms in health care systems in the greater New York area. Several resources from this effort are noted below, with descriptions and links:
- An overview of the Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative
- The Milstein Toolkit for Ambulatory Care Practices
- Two peer-reviewed articles published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
- Videos with participants in the OASI
Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative
Provider and patient education, best practices and clinical decision support tools, and ongoing feedback are driving change in outpatient prescribing practices.
Launched in February 2016, the Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative is a UHF-led effort involving hospitals across the metropolitan area working together to improve antibiotic prescribing practices in the community.
Scroll down to see published findings from this initiative, or click here to watch interviews with participants in the project.
The Milstein Toolkit features a patient survey, translated into six languages, that can be used to assess patient knowledge of antibiotic resistance and proper antibiotic use. Also included in the toolkit are helpful hints for using the various assessment tools.
