FW: Taking action towards combating antibiotic resistance in Australia

[Wishart, Michael]

[Posted on behalf of Claire Boardman, AICA Pesident – Moderator[

>>> 7/04/2011 9:45 am >>>

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday 7 April 2011

Taking action towards combating antibiotic resistance in Australia

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the
Commission) has today launched Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian
Hospitals 2011, a key step towards action to combat antibiotic
resistance in Australia.

A major cause of antibiotic resistance, a growing issue in Australia
and internationally, is the unnecessary and inappropriate use of
antibiotics (and other antimicrobials) resulting in resistance of
bacteria to these drugs. Antibiotic resistance is increasingly common.

As part of a national action to combat antimicrobial resistance in
Australia the Commission has launched Antimicrobial Stewardship in
Australian Hospitals 2011. This book
– highlights the dangers of unnecessary and inappropriate use of
antibiotics (and other antimicrobials) and
– encourages hospitals to implement antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Hospitals 2011 demonstrates
that an organised antimicrobial management program – known as
antimicrobial stewardship is an effective approach to antimicrobial
resistance. When combined with hand hygiene and infection control
programs antimicrobial stewardship reduces the rate of
healthcare-associated infection by resistant organisms and subsequent
transmission to other patients.

Today, April 7, is also World Health Day, and the World Health
Organization (WHO) has selected combating antimicrobial resistance as
the theme for 2011.

WHO calls on all key stakeholders, including policy-makers and
planners, the public and patients, practitioners and prescribers,
pharmacists and dispensers, and the pharmaceutical industry, to act and
take responsibility for combating antimicrobial resistance.

Ms Margaret Duguid, the Commission’s Pharmaceutical Advisor, said that
“Up to 50% of antimicrobial courses prescribed in Australian
hospitals are considered inappropriate. Comparison with northern Europe
shows Australian hospitals have a higher rate of antimicrobial use.
Unnecessary and inappropriate use of antimicrobials costs lives. It
drives the development of pathogens resistant to antibiotics and other
antimicrobials and poses the real risk that health professionals and
health consumers will face a future with few effective antimicrobials.
It also adds to the cost of health care.”

Professor Chris Baggoley, Chief Executive of the Australian Commission
on Safety and Quality on Health Care, said that “A hard copy of
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Hospitals 2011 has been sent to
all hospitals in Australia. I encourage all Australian hospitals to
implement antimicrobial stewardship arrangements appropriate to their
circumstances”

The Commission is undertaking a large number of initiatives to assist
hospitals implement antimicrobial stewardship in their facilities in
addition to providing copies of the book. These include:
– A National Antimicrobial Stewardship Workshop on 7 April 2011;
– Providing a range of resources on the Commission web site;
– Developing an antimicrobial prescribing online training module; and
– A checklist of essential AMS elements for hospital staff to use as a
self-assessment tool (and available in June 2011 from the Commission web
site).

The book and other resources are available for downloading from the
Commission web site http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au

Background
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care was
established by the Australian, State and Territory Health Ministers to
lead and coordinate improvements in safety and quality. As the peak
national safety and quality body, the Commission has been tasked with
reporting publicly on the state of safety and quality in health care.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr Marilyn
Cruickshank, Manager, Healthcare Associated Infection or Ms Margaret
Duguid, the Commission’s Pharmaceutical Advisor, please contact Amy
Winter, Communications Coordinator, on 02 9126 3605, mobile 0417 832 189
or amy.winter@safetyandquality.gov.au.

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