CDC now tracking antibiotic use in hospitals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is launching a new antibiotic tracking system allowing hospitals to monitor antibiotic use electronically, make better decisions about how to improve use and compare themselves to other hospitals. Before now, CDC was only able to track antibiotic use in physician practices.
Each year, millions of Americans take antibiotics to fight infections but overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance to antibiotics. That increases the risk of an infection for which there are limited or no treatment options. “Antibiotic use leads to antibiotic resistance, which is a major public health problem,” said CDC Director Thomas D. Frieden, MD, MPH. “Hospitals and other healthcare facilities should monitor the antibiotics used in their facilities. This new system is a powerful tool that will enhance providers' ability to monitor and improve patterns of antibiotic use so that these essential drugs will still be effective in the years to come.”
The antibiotic use tracking system is part of CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network, the nation's premier tool for monitoring infections in healthcare facilities, which includes over 4,800 hospitals. CDC has funded four health departments and their academic partners to implement the tracking system in 70 hospitals. In addition, any hospital that participates in the National Healthcare Safety Network can utilize this tool by working directly with its pharmacy software vendor to transmit data electronically from drug administration or barcoding records. There is no manual entry of data, thus saving a facility time and money.
“The threat of untreatable infections is real,” says Arjun Srinivasan, MD, who heads CDC’s Get Smart for Healthcare program. “Although previously unthinkable, the day when antibiotics don't work in all situations is upon us. We are already seeing germs that are stronger than any antibiotics we have to treat them, including some infections in healthcare settings.”
Each year, millions of Americans take antibiotics to fight infections but overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance to antibiotics. That increases the risk of an infection for which there are limited or no treatment options. “Antibiotic use leads to antibiotic resistance, which is a major public health problem,” said CDC Director Thomas D. Frieden, MD, MPH. “Hospitals and other healthcare facilities should monitor the antibiotics used in their facilities. This new system is a powerful tool that will enhance providers' ability to monitor and improve patterns of antibiotic use so that these essential drugs will still be effective in the years to come.”
The antibiotic use tracking system is part of CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network, the nation's premier tool for monitoring infections in healthcare facilities, which includes over 4,800 hospitals. CDC has funded four health departments and their academic partners to implement the tracking system in 70 hospitals. In addition, any hospital that participates in the National Healthcare Safety Network can utilize this tool by working directly with its pharmacy software vendor to transmit data electronically from drug administration or barcoding records. There is no manual entry of data, thus saving a facility time and money.
“The threat of untreatable infections is real,” says Arjun Srinivasan, MD, who heads CDC’s Get Smart for Healthcare program. “Although previously unthinkable, the day when antibiotics don't work in all situations is upon us. We are already seeing germs that are stronger than any antibiotics we have to treat them, including some infections in healthcare settings.”
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.