When considering the state of antibiotic resistance proliferation in today's health care landscape, the words “The Bugs are Fighting Back!” may come to mind. While this may sound like a D-list ‘80s movie, it succinctly summarizes the rapid pace of antibiotic resistance evolution, and the urgent need for stewardship in prescribing and surveillance practices. Antibiotics are ubiquitous in today's society: they are in foods, prescribed as medicine and at one point were even widely used in soaps. Each of these factors spurned the growth of resistant organisms for which antibiotics have reduced efficacy. Some consequences of antibiotic-resistant infections are longer and more complicated illnesses, increased doctor visits and increased mortality. In light of the vast problem of existing and emerging resistance, I chose to address surveillance of antibiotic prescribing practices and antibiotic threats as my project for my Informatics-Training in Place Program (I-TIPP) fellowship.

I join a myriad of stakeholders who have focused their attention on the need for antibiotic stewardship over the last several years. These efforts to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria were propelled further by the 2015 White House Report titled National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. The report established several goals to fight “super bugs,” such as reducing the incidence of Clostridium difficile by 50 percent, reducing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections by 60 percent, and maintaining the prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae below two percent (of all of the multi-drug resistant organisms, stating the emergence of Gonorrhoeae as a drug-resistant threat typically gets the biggest gasp from my audiences of infection preventionists and stakeholders).

The need for antibiotic stewardship is readily apparent in Louisiana, where I am pursuing my fellowship in the Louisiana Department of Health. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Healthcare-Associated Infections 2015 Prevention Status Report, only 29.5 percent of acute care hospitals in Louisiana reported having antibiotic stewardship programs that incorporated all seven core elements deemed critical by CDC. These seven core elements include leadership commitment, accountability, drug expertise, action, tracking, reporting and education. Although this data references only acute care hospitals, antibiotic stewardship is needed across the health care spectrum. The seven core elements for antibiotic stewardship are recommended for implementation in all settings where prescribing occurs, including long-term acute care hospitals and nursing homes.

Similar to the Prevention Status Report's revelation of lack of antibiotic stewardship programs, CDC's 2014 Community Antibiotic Prescriptions Report shows data demonstrating that Louisiana's doctors' offices, emergency departments and hospital clinics administer antibiotics that are unnecessary at a rate of 1,021-1,285 prescriptions per 1,000. Overprescribing can be attributed to a number of factors. One study published in British Journal of General Practice showed that reduced antibiotic prescribing is associated with lower patient satisfaction, which may be why doctors overprescribe unnecessary medications. According to The Pew Charitable Trusts (PCT), common inappropriate uses of antibiotics in health care are for asthma, allergies, bronchitis, middle ear infections, influenza, viral pneumonia and viral upper respiratory infections. PCT has listed reducing inappropriate antibiotic use for all conditions by 50 percent by 2020 as a national goal.

Through my I-TIPP fellowship, I have identified current informatics capacities at acute care hospitals, promoted use of the National Healthcare Safety Network's (NHSN) Antibiotic Use and Resistance Module (AUR), educated facilities about the need for robust antibiotic stewardship activities and notified acute care hospitals about the eligibility of Meaningful Use Stage 3 incentives for participating in both the antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance features of the AUR. In July 2016, I conducted an introductory webinar on the AUR and in September 2016, I conducted a survey among acute care NHSN users to assess their electronic reporting capacities to participate in the AUR. Information administered in the initial webinar on AUR was reinforced at three, in-person workshops that were presented statewide in November 2016. These workshops focused on the NHSN and Emerging Infectious Disease, which are an integral part of Louisiana's health care-associated infections activities. Infection preventionists and patient safety personnel were the target audience for these workshops, however some pharmacists participated as well, in light of the demonstration of the AUR Module.

Effectively intersecting with people to generate outcomes that impact population health has been the key to my success in the fellowship thus far. Understanding the needs of each facility that has indicated an interest in signing up for the AUR Module, determining what their current capacities and barriers to creating competent antibiotic stewardship programs, and showing how Meaningful Use participation can help them has been integral to my project. Through I-TIPP, I have been able to refine my communication skills and problem solving methods to achieve public health goals that will better the health of Louisianans as we fight back against super bugs.