The World Health Organization has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the top five threats to human health. To address this, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance action plan highlights four overarching strategies to address antimicrobial resistance including surveillance, research, new product development, and prevention and control.
Preventing the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the dissemination of resistant microorganisms will reduce these effects and their attendant costs. One of the primary driving forces for the development of antimicrobial resistance in the hospital and LTC is the use of antibiotics themselves. Inappropriate and excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics promote emergence of antimicrobial resistance in selected patients, specific patient care units, and within the hospital at large. The administration and medical staff of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (WFBMC) are committed to the principles of sound antimicrobial use both in the inpatient and outpatient communities.
Get Smart About Antibiotics: An Antibiotic Stewardship Curriculum was developed by Wake Forest School of Medicine in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to increase understanding of antimicrobial resistance prevention and control among medical students.
Authors and reviewers include academic infectious disease physicians, researchers, public health officers and communication specialists. It is structured to address the microbiological and pharmacological components of antimicrobial use in outpatient and inpatient settings.
Learning objectives include increased understanding of the following concepts and practices:
- Antibiotic susceptibility, antibiotic resistance and breakpoints
- Methods for determining antibiotic susceptibility
- Factors that contribute to antibiotic resistance
- Bacterial resistance mechanisms and the antibiotic classes each affects
- Clinical implications of antibiotic resistance for Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and gram-negative organisms
- Effects of antibiotic use
- Antibiotic stewardship
- Antimicrobial selection
- Empiric antibiotic therapy for common inpatient and outpatient infections
- Tenets of appropriate antibiotic use
Curriculum
The curriculum is intended for use in U.S. medical schools. It is comprised of: three didactic lectures with facilitator notes and audio recordings, nine corresponding exam questions in USMLE format (available on request), and five small group activities with facilitator guides. The didactic lectures are geared toward medical students in the pre-clinical years. The small group activities are geared toward medical students on clinical clerkships.