November 18-24, 2013
APUA is proud to have been a national partner of the CDC's Get Smart About Antibiotics Week since 2010. Get Smart About Antibiotics Week is an annual effort to coordinate the work of CDC’s Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work campaign, state-based appropriate antibiotic use campaigns, non-profit partners, and for-profit partners during a one week observance of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use.
This year, for Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, APUA will be engaging members of the public and healthcare professionals through social media in order to get the word out about antibiotic overuse and resistance.
Be sure to check out our Twitter feed, Facebook profile and our website throughout the week to get important educational materials and participate in lively discussions on this pressing issue!
Want to learn more about antibiotic resistance and stewardship?
Take a look at our APUA Clinical Newsletters, which tackle a different topic in antibiotic resistance in each issue. The following two are specifically focused on antibiotic stewardship:
Volume 29 No.1
June 14, 2011
"Antibiotic Stewardship Gaining Traction: Recommended Models and Resources" (PDF)
Get up to speed on antibiotic use guidelines, resistant diseases, and how to protect yourself and your family with our APUA Fact Sheets
About the CDC Campaign
In response to rising rates of resistance and inappropriate prescribing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Campaign for Appropriate Antibiotic Use in the Community in 1995. In 2003, the campaign was branded and launched as Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work.
This campaign aims to reduce the rate of rise of antibiotic resistance by:
1. Promoting adherence to appropriate prescribing guidelines among providers,
2. Decreasing demand for antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections among healthy adults and parents of young children, and
3. Increasing adherence to prescribed antibiotics for upper respiratory infections.
The Get Smart campaign targets the five respiratory conditions that in 1992 accounted for more than 75% of all office-based prescribing for all ages combined: otitis media, sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and the common cold. Its partner campaigns, Get Smart for Healthcare and Get Smart on the Farm, are focused on optimization of antibiotic use in inpatient healthcare settings and in veterinary medicine/animal agriculture.
The 2012 observance of Get Smart About Antibiotics Week also marked the third year of an international collaboration, which coincides with European Antibiotic Awareness Day, Australia's Antibiotic Awareness Week and Canada's Antibiotic Awareness Week.
How to Become a CDC Get Smart Partner
There are many opportunities to collaborate in promoting appropriate antibiotic use, including, but not limited to:
Providing education to healthcare consumers
Distributing healthcare provider detailing sheets reviewing appropriate use guidelines
Developing local level appropriate antibiotic use campaigns, including educational products Collaborating with Get Smart and local level programs on projects
Exchanging in-kind services with Get Smart or local level campaigns
Providing assistance to local level campaigns in producing educational materials or sponsoring events
Delivering presentations on appropriate use to interested parties
For more information on partnership opportunities, please contact email@example.com.
CDC Daily Fact Sheets
Antibiotic Overuse In this podcast, Dr. Tarayn Fairlie discusses the dangers of overusing antibiotics.
Too Much of a Good Thing (A Minute of Health with CDC)
Discusses how the use of antibiotics has increased significantly for many infections and how many common conditions can be overcome by simply treating the symptoms and letting the illness run its course.
All You Have to Do is Wash Your Hands
Teaches children how and when to wash their hands properly.
Pharmacists Can Make the Difference
A pharmacist counsels a frustrated mother about appropriate antibiotic use and symptomatic relief options for her son's cold.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Key facts about MRSA infections in the United States, including schools and healthcare settings.
Antibiotic Overuse (A Cup of Health with CDC)
The discovery of antibiotics was one of the greatest medical achievements of the twentieth century. However, overuse of these drugs has led to the development of resistance in bacteria. As a consequence, some infections can result in serious illness and even death. In this podcast, Dr. Tarayn Fairlie discusses the dangers of overusing antibiotics.
Snort. Sniffle. Sneeze. No Antibiotics Please!
Learn more about appropriate antibiotic use and how to feel better when you have a sore throat, ear or sinus pain, fever, cough or runny nose.