Hospitals to test strategies for better antibiotic use

Eight hospitals will serve as testing sites for a program focused on improving use of antibiotics in hospitals, led jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (PDF).

The program will test strategies to prevent misuse and overuse, and will provide hospitals with methods for improvement, according to a news release from the Cambridge, Mass.-based IHI.

“Overuse and misuse contribute both to antibiotic resistance, one of the world's most pressing public health threats, and to a decrease in the stocks of these vital resources” the IHI said in the release. “It is estimated that at least 50% of antibiotic use in U.S. hospitals is inappropriate.”

The pilot hospitals—chosen to represent a range of care settings—include 307-bed Rogue Valley Medical Center, Medford, Ore.; 456-bed Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles; and 69-bed Community Hospital, Tallassee, Ala.

“We are looking forward to working with IHI and the pilot hospitals to help develop a practical action plan that all hospitals will be able to utilize to improve antibiotic use,” Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, medical director of the CDC's Get Smart for Healthcare Program, said in the release.