Antibiotic Stewardship

Since their discovery, antibiotics have proven to be revolutionary in the practice of medicine allowing treatment of infections which were once considered untreatable and lethal. However, misuse of these miraculous drugs has led to significant consequences including individual patient harm resulting from antibiotic related side effects and societal harm due to the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Long-term Care Honor Roll Update

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Antibiotic Stewardship Program Honor Roll for long-term care facilities in Georgia! The application window will be from October 1 through November 30, 2024. Below, in the Antibiotic Stewardship Program Honor Roll section, you will find a link to the Long-term Care Honor Roll Toolkit. This toolkit has information on the application process as well as other helpful resources.

Benefits of the Honor Roll include:

Access to antibiotic stewardship resources
Fully electronic application process
An electronic certificate and digital seal with Honor Roll designation to be displayed on website and other publications

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about the Honor Roll

All current Honor Roll recipients will retain their status until the new Honor Roll certificates are issued in September. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about the Honor Roll.

What is Antibiotic Stewardship?

Antibiotic stewardship is a program put into place to measure and improve antibiotic prescribing by physicians and use by patients. Antibiotic stewardship strives to minimize missed or delayed diagnoses that can lead to underuse of antibiotics. It is also crucial to ensure that the right drug, dose, and duration are selected when an antibiotic is needed.
Why is it Important?

Inappropriate antibiotic use contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance which lowers the likelihood of the drug working in the future. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can also contribute to increased health care costs, adverse drug reactions, health care related infections, and community-associated Clostridium difficile infections. Annually in the United States, approximately two million people develop infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and 23,000 people die because of these infections (CDC).

General

Antibiotics Prescribing and Use (Source: CDC | DPH | https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/index.html)
Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Options (Source: AUR | PSC | NHSN | CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/psc/aur/index.html)
NHSN Conferring Rights Instructions
Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (Sources: CDC https://arpsp.cdc.gov/profile/antibiotic-use/all-classes)
CDC’s Antibiotic Stewardship Training Plan (Source: https://www.train.org/cdctrain/training_plan/3697)
Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship by Setting (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/index.html)
Treatment Recommendations by Population (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/clinicians.html)
Improve Antibiotic Use – Implementing CDC’s 6/18 Initiative: A Resource Center (Source: https://www.618resources.chcs.org/priority-conditions/improve-antibiotic-use/)

Honor Roll

The Acute Care Antibiotic Stewardship Program Honor Roll Application will reopen May 1 through June 30, 2025.

The Long-term Care Antibiotic Stewardship Program Honor Roll Application will open October 1 through November 30 2024.

Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll Application Toolkit for Long-term Care Facility

Hospital Inpatient

Hospital Commitment Letter
R3 Report Issue 35: New and Revised Requirements for Antibiotic Stewardship (Source: The Joint Commission https://www.jointcommission.org/standards/r3-report/)
Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship (Source: CDC https://arpsp.cdc.gov/profile/stewardship)
Antibiotic Prescribing and Use Implementation Resources for Hospitals (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/hospital/implementation.html)
NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Module Reporting Basics: (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/training/2023/aur-reporting-for-cms-pip-508.pdf)
NHSN AUR Module Reporting for the CMS Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program Office Hours: (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/training/2023/AUR-PIP-Office-Hours_20230928.pdf)
NHSN resources describing CMS requirements: (Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/cms/ach.html#anchor_1687351074355)
Additional training modules for AUR: (Source: CDC AUR Training | PSC | NHSN | CDC)
If you have additional NHSN/AUR related questions please reach out to the NHSN Helpdesk at [email protected], and for CMS related questions reach out to the Quality Net Help desk at [email protected] or 1-866-288-8912.

Outpatient/Dialysis

Measuring Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing (Source: Measuring Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing (cdc.gov))
Implementation Resources for Outpatient Facilities | APU | CDC (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/outpatient/implementation.html)
Improving Antibiotic Use in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities (Source: Antibiotic Prescribing in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities | Antibiotic Use | CDC)

Dental

Dental Office Commitment Letter
Antibiotic Stewardship in Dentistry (Source: Antibiotic Stewardship | American Dental Association (ada.org))
Checklist for Antibiotic Prescribing in Dentistry (Source: Checklist for Antibiotic Prescribing in Dentistry (cdc.gov))
Treating Patients with Dental Pain and Swelling Fact Sheet (Source: Dentists: Be Antibiotics Aware - Treating Patients with Dental Pain and Swelling (cdc.gov))
Antibiotic Use for a Safe Dental Visit Patient Brochure (Source: Antibiotic Use For A Safe Dentist Visit (cdc.gov))
Antibiotic Stewardship Dental Toolkit

Long-Term Care

Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes (Source: Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes | APU | CDC)
Implementation Resources for Nursing Homes | APU | CDC (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/nursing-homes/implementation.html)
Antibiotic Stewardship Program for Nursing Home Providers - Training Information (Source: https://qsep.cms.gov/pubs/ClassInformation.aspx?cid=0CMSDevASP_NH_Prov)

Print/Video/Web and Graphics Materials

Patient Resources and Education | Antibiotic Use | CDC (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/materials-references/index.html)
Educational Resources for Healthcare Professionals | Antibiotic Use | CDC (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/training/materials.html)

Veterinary

Antibiotic Stewardship in Veterinary Medicine Resources (Source: One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Resources and Print Materials | Minnesota Department of Health (health.state.mn.us))
Antibiotic Prescribing Guidelines and Resources for Veterinarians (Source: Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Initiative | University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (arsi.umn.edu))
Veterinary Antibiotic Use Infographic (Source: Veterinary General Practice Antibiotic Use Survey | University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (arsi.umn.edu))

Videos

DPH | Alliant Health Solutions Strike Team Office Hours (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzMcwEGdjTLmB9k8Jc2O9KqgLhLsFJajQ
CDC NHSN Training Videos (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvrp9iOILTQYzQ_vFc-PZGhgDOL3XrXvT
CDC | Safe Healthcare Webinars (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvrp9iOILTQayOi5lgk08QDgv3GHROtCf
CDC | Dialysis Safety Videos (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvrp9iOILTQZZfYDSI9vYiOC2x7fSz2TE
Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVjKiiBsfA6W-7TMrUsm-w

Last updated: 8/13/24