CDC Launches Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance

CDC Launches Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance

TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign aimedat clinicians called the "Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance." Thecampaign focuses on four key strategies for preventing antimicrobial resistancein healthcare settings:

1. Preventing infection

2. Diagnosing and treating infection effectively

3. Using antimicrobials wisely

4. Preventing transmission of drug-resistant pathogens

Within these strategies are 12 action steps derived from evidenced-basedguidelines and recommendations developed by the CDC that clinicians can take toprevent antimicrobial resistance in hospitalized adults.

"Clinicians are always on the go and are bombarded with lots ofinformation about preventing infections," says Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH,director of the CDC's program to promote healthcare quality. "CDC is tryingto simplify things by presenting the best practices in simple terms that easilycan be recalled and followed by fronting clinicians to protect patients andprevent antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings."

The action steps include:

Action Step 1: Vaccinate

Action Step 2: Get the catheters out

Action Step 3: Target the pathogen

Action Step 4: Access the experts

Action Step 5: Practice antimicrobial control

Action Step 6: Use local data

Action Step 7: Treat infection, not contamination

Action Step 8: Treat infection, not colonization

Action Step 9: Know when to say "no" to vanco(mycin)

Action Step 10: Stop antimicrobial treatment when infection is treated orunlikely

Action Step 11: Isolate the pathogen

Action Step 12: Break the chain of contagion

CDC is partnering with professional medical organizations, including theInfectious Diseases Society of America, the American Society for Microbiology,the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, national medical centers andother healthcare institutions to distribute, implement and evaluate campaignmaterials. The materials include a slide set, posters, brochures and apocket-sized clinician reminder card listing the 12 action steps. The campaignalso features a Web site (www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/healthcare).

Antimicrobial-resistant infections in healthcare settings are a major threatto patient safety. Each year in the United States an estimated 2 millionhospitalized people acquire infections that result in more 90,000 deaths. Morethan half of these infections are caused by bacteria that are resistant to atleast one of the antimicrobial commonly used to treat those infections,according to CDC.

The CDC is making available a pocket-sized clinician reminder card listingthe 12 action steps of the "Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance"campaign.