As of January 2017, hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission are required to have antibiotic stewardship programs, and the requirement includes education for practitioners, staff and patients on the antimicrobial program, such as information about resistance and optimal prescribing. For hospitals seeking antimicrobial stewardship education, the Society of Hospital Medicine just released Antimicrobial Stewardship Modules that are available online.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections. For more information on antimicrobial stewardship, please contact Meg Kilcup. (Meg Kilcup)
