Vital Signs: Improving Antibiotic Use Among Hospitalized Patients

Vital Signs: Improving Antibiotic Use Among Hospitalized Patients

March 7, 2014

Doctors in some hospitals prescribed up to 3 times as many antibiotics as doctors in similar areas of other hospitals, according to a newly released study of antibiotic prescribing practices in a sample of US hospitals, based on 2010 data. Reducing the use of high-risk antibiotics by 30% can lower C. difficile infections by 26%. State health departments can help hospitals develop antibiotic stewardship programs by facilitating the use of the CDC self-assessment checklist and an in-depth implementation tool. To submit ideas for Did You Know?, email the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support. For more information, visit our website.