November 13-19, 2017 is World Antibiotic Awareness Week!
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to our nation's health today, and it is rising to dangerous levels in all parts of the world. It is compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and puts people everywhere at risk. This further highlights the need for antimicrobial stewardship practices.
The two main strategies of antimicrobial stewardship are:
- Minimizing the use of broad spectrum antibiotics in empiric treatments
- Reassessing therapies 48-72 hours after initiation depending on available culture results and patient's clinical status
To show your support to improve the use of antimicrobials globally, please visit the Antibiotic Wise website and take the pledge to use antibiotics wisely! Please visit Antibiotic Awareness Canada and the World Health Organization to view more resources on how to promote antimicrobial stewardship practices.
There are also Clinical tools and online infectious disease resources now available on the Northern Health Antimicrobial Stewardship Program page. On this page you will also find antimicrobial related NH clinical practice standards and order sets.
