Friday 13 December 2013

Action required for antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is an international reality whose solution includes better educating physicians about using bacteria-fighting tools, says an infectious disease physician. In a statement, Dr. Josѐ A. Vazquez, Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, has said:

“The big problem is the overuse of antibiotics in hospitals and communities because not only can they lead to side effects like rashes and colon damage, one of those side effects is development of multidrug-resistant organisms.”

Emerging initiatives include antimicrobial stewardship programs that keep tabs on the antibiotics physicians prescribe and following up with education when inappropriate trends surface. Dr Vazquez adds: "We keep track to make sure patients are on the right antibiotic for the bug they have and use, when possible, a narrow spectrum antibiotic, instead of a broad-spectrum antibiotic.”

Furthermore: “Medical schools and residency training sites also need to beef up their educational efforts on the topic of appropriate antibiotic selection.”

Source: Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University
Posted by Tim Sandle

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