Contributor

Stephanie Pavol
Essential Insights contributor; Senior Manager, Product and Solutions Marketing
Cardinal Health
Featured expert

Kate Shea, PharmD, BCPS-AQ-ID
Director, Clinical Specialty, Innovative Delivery Solutions
Antibiotic resistance continues to receive increased attention from healthcare leaders with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling it “a public health priority that requires a collaborative global approach across sectors.”
In April, a United Nations report on drug resistance called for urgent action from global leaders, while hospitals and other healthcare facilities have been fighting outbreaks of so-called “superbugs” like Carbapenem-resistant Enterobateraiceae.
Here, Kate Shea, a pharmacist and clinical director for Infectious Diseases at Cardinal Health, discusses this issue and shares what hospital leaders and healthcare providers need to know.
Q: Why do bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?
Q: Why are we seeing more antibiotic resistance?
Q: How could antibiotic resistance impact patients? Why is this such a threat?
Shea: Currently, drug-resistant bacteria cause at least 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths each year in the United States. Additionally, these infections often require increased length of hospital stay and increased use of more costly, potentially toxic antimicrobials. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that death by drug-resistant bacteria will be the leading cause of death by 2050, exceeding that of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Q: What is being done at the national and global levels to combat the epidemic?
Shea: The Joint Commission (TJC), DNV GL-Healthcare, and certain states (including California and Missouri) now require antimicrobial stewardship in various settings. The CDC has also formed an Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, which invests in healthcare settings across the United States and collaborates in global activities. They are leading efforts to detect, respond, and contain antibiotic resistance, prevent the spread of resistance, and innovate new ways to protect and treat patients. The United Nations Ad hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance has also recently released a report requesting immediate action to prevent a drug-resistance crisis.
Q: What steps can hospitals take to help combat antibiotic resistance?
Q: What resources are available for hospital leaders and providers?
Shea: Numerous resources are available regarding resistant organisms and antimicrobial stewardship to assist hospitals. The CDC is a great resource and offers guidance on antibiotic stewardship programs.