The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials — agents, such as antibiotics, that kill microorganisms or stop their growth — are pressing public health concerns across the globe. Longer and more expensive hospital stays, as well as deaths caused by infection, are some of the consequences the health care industry faces when antimicrobial treatments become unproductive.
For a decade, the Centers for Disease Control, the Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have collaborated around improving antimicrobial stewardship, also known as ASP, which promotes the appropriate use of antimicrobials. Despite this dedicated focus, ASP remains a leading issue for many pharmacy and physician leaders and is a high priority for health systems that want to reduce drug spend while advancing patient outcomes.
While addressing ASP with governance, policies, clinical guidelines and the implementation of technology is key, cultural and behavioral changes are also fundamental elements to consider.
On this episode of Perspectives on Health and Tech, we’re joined by Dr. Steve Arendt, senior physician executive at Cerner, and Dani Riecke, PharmD and Cerner Pharmacy solution advisor. They discuss ASP guidelines that health care systems should follow to deliver better patient outcomes, reduce microbial resistance and decrease the spread of infections.
Dr. Arendt and Dani answer the following questions:
- What is antimicrobial stewardship and why is it an important topic for health care leaders, health systems and patients?
- How is ASP being addressed across the health care landscape today? What’s being done well and what’s still missing from the overall approach to this issue?
- What are some practical strategies that health care organizations can implement to improve their antimicrobial stewardship programs?
- What can organizations and leaders do to effectively move the ball forward on cultural and behavioral changes to address ASP?
Listen to the full podcast below, and click here for previous episodes of Perspectives on Health and Tech.
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