CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden Takes on Critical Issues of Antibiotic Resistance and Overprescribing

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden Takes on Critical Issues of Antibiotic Resistance and Overprescribing

On the heels of new CDC and Pew Charitable Trusts datashowing that doctors continue to overprescribe antibiotics, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden published an editorial onThe Healthcare Blog about how improving antibiotic prescribing is critical to improving patient safety. According to Dr. Frieden, better antibiotic use will save lives and slow the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Also, today on CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog, Katherine Fleming-Dutra, M.D., a pediatrician with CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, shares her thoughts about why health care providers are still overprescribing antibiotics. She also offers advice about how clinicians can communicate better with patients about when antibiotics are needed and when they aren’t.

Learn more about the best ways to use antibioticswww.cdc.gov/getsmart.