CDC, The Pew Charitable Trusts and 12 National Health Organizations Commit to Improving Antibiotic Use

CDC and The Pew Charitable Trusts, in collaboration with 12 national health organizations, are releasing a joint letter today on the importance of antibiotic stewardship in outpatient settings. The letter represents the commitment of these organizations to work together to expand current antibiotic stewardship efforts, fill research gaps around effective interventions for improving prescribing habits, and help health care professionals and patients use antibiotics appropriately in outpatient settings .

This joint statement comes on the heels of data released in May in theJournal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showing that doctors in private offices and emergency rooms continue to significantly overprescribe antibiotics. According to the article, at least 30 percent of antibiotics prescribed in U.S. outpatient settings are unnecessary.  

We are honored to stand with the following organizations in this important public health issue:

• American Academy of Emergency Medicine
• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• American College of Physicians
• American Medical Association
• Infectious Diseases Society of America
• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
• The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
• Society for Infectious Diseases Pharmacists

Learn more about the best ways to use antibioticswww.cdc.gov/getsmart. 
Join us for Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, November 14-20: www.cdc.gov/getsmart/week/index.html.