Experimental evidence confirms what surveys have long suggested: Physicians are more likely to prescribe antibiotics when they believe there is a high expectation of it from their patients, even if they think the probability of bacterial infection is low and antibiotics would not be effective, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
The World Health Organization’s calls to action are:
Health workers: “Clean your hands at the right times and stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.”
Hospital Chief Executive Officers and Administrators: “Lead a year-round infection prevention and control program to protect your patients from resistant infections."
Policy-makers: "Stop antibiotic resistance spread by making infection prevention and hand hygiene a national policy priority."
The American Public Health Association (APHA) says it supports the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill – although it’s not happy with everything in it.
Unless there are immediate, nationwide improvements in infection control and a big change in the way antibiotics are prescribed, drug-resistant infections are going to increase, according to mathematical modeling reported on in the latest CDC Vital Signs.
Progress has been made in the effort to eliminate infections that commonly threaten hospital patients, including a 46 percent decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) between 2008 and 2013, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
