Check Out Our New Tools To Prevent Antibiotic Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest current threats to public health, associated with over 35,000 deaths in the United States every year. Antibiotics are essential, lifesaving medications, but using antibiotics when they are not needed leads to the emergence of multi-drug resist organisms that are difficult or impossible to treat. It is estimated that up to 30 percent of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the US are unnecessary, making this an important area for healthcare systems to tackle.  

This week is Antibiotic Awareness Week, and you may see the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Roanoke lit up in purple – the official color of Antibiotic Awareness Week – to help share this message. We are committed to reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions to protect our patients and community, reduce unnecessary side effects, and preserve antibiotics for future generations.

Our Antimicrobial Stewardship team has several new tools and opportunities to help Carilion providers optimize their antibiotic prescription practices:

• Antimicrobial footprint dashboard: Every outpatient provider will now have access to their own dashboard, which displays their antibiotic prescription metrics as compared to the peers in their practice groups.
• Antimicrobial stewardship app (through Eolas Medical) offers Carilion specific guidelines and resources that can be easily accessed on your mobile phone. It will be available soon to all Carilion providers.
• Antimicrobial stewardship innovation challenge: Do you have an idea for how to improve antibiotic prescribing in your outpatient practice? Funding and support are available to all providers.

Learn more about your dashboard, the innovation challenge and the antimicrobial stewardship app on the Antimicrobial Stewardship hub.