Page 18 - Christiana Care Focus June July 2018

Stewardship |
Using antibiotics
wisely
Coughs and colds from viral infections are a common complaint at Christiana Care’s Medical Aid Units, and if people have been feeling lousy and staying in bed, they just might ask Hal P. Kramer, M.D., for an antibiotic.
As lead physician of the Medical Aid Units, Dr. Kramer and the team of clinicians are accustomed to seizing on such a request as an opportunity for patient education on the proper use of antibiotics and to practice the gentle art of saying ‘No.’ Typically, the clini- cians will empathize with how crummy a patient feels, explain that upper respiratory and sinus infections are caused by viruses and work to make the situation better.
Potential for harm
The clinicians also explain that antibiotics will not help a viral respiratory infection, but they do have the potential for harm — if bacteria mutate and become resistant to antibiotics because of their overuse.
“We validate how patients feel and reassure them that they will feel better soon while
giving them the right tool to achieve the right result,” said Dr. Kramer, a vocal
Dadvocate for antibiotic stewardship.
r. Kramer is part of an intensive effort within Christiana Care to educate clinicians and patients about the appropriate use of
antibiotics. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, antibiotics have been considered
a low-risk public health tool. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that more than 30 percent of antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed. Patients often ask for antibiotics when they will not be effective for their complaint.
One result of this misuse is the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. About 2 million people annually become infected with
bacteria resistant to antibiotics. These infections can lead to increased hospital stays, life-threatening illnesses and death.
“In general, both patients and providers have recognized that antibiotic overuse is a problem — but they may have thought, ‘It’s not my problem.’ However, we are changing that through education and awareness,” said Marci Drees, M.D., MS, FACP, DTMH, infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist at Christiana Care.
Today the stewardship effort within
the Medical Aid Units is one part of a multifaceted approach that began inside the hospitals, in the medical and surgical service lines, and has blossomed into other areas.
16 CHRISTIANA CARE HEALTH SYSTEM