Monday, November 12 kicks-off U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW)As you prepare for the week, we encourage you to check out CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware partner toolkit, which contains key messages, social media content, graphics and more.
Below are some specific CDC USAAW activities, along with data and resources focused on improving antibiotic prescribing and use in healthcare, that we will promote during the week that may be relevant for you, your colleagues and your partners. We hope you’ll help share and promote these items in addition to other activities you have planned.
Monday, November 12 (Veteran’s Day):
· Special edition CDC Safe Healthcare blog, which will feature a story about the successes in antibiotic stewardship program implementation to improve antibiotic use and prescribing for our nation’s veterans.
· CDC resources and data for healthcare providers: CDC’s Online Antibiotic Stewardship Training Course
Provides up to 8 hours of free continuing education (CE)
· CDC resources and data for patients and their families:
o “The Right Tool” 15-second Public Service Announcement
o “Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer” animated educational video
Tuesday, November 13:
FREE webinar with CE at 12 pm CST, hosted by CDC in collaboration with Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Leading experts will discuss pharmacists’ roles in improving antibiotic prescribing and use in hospital settings.
· CDC resources and data for inpatient healthcare providers:
Wednesday, November 14:
· CDC resources and data for healthcare providers who provide care for older adults:
o NEW brochure Do You Need Antibiotics? Information about antibiotics for nursing home residents and their families
o NEW customizable commitment poster for facilities! A Commitment to Our Residents About Antibiotics
Thursday, November 15:
· Join CDC and other countries for the global #AntibioticResistance Twitter Storm from 8-9 am CST. Follow @CDCgov on Twitter and tweet throughout the hour to help spread the word about antibiotic resistance and improving antibiotic prescribing and use.
o Official hashtag: #AntibioticResistance
o Tweet this message at 8 am CST to kick-off the Twitter Storm: Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats. Everyone has a role to play in improving antibiotic use to help fight #AntibioticResistance.
Friday, November 16:
· CDC data and resources for outpatient healthcare providers:
· CDC data and resources for dental providers:
o NEW Antibiotic Prescriptions Associated with Dental-Related Emergency Department Visits, Annals of Emergency Medicine
o Do You Need Antibiotics from Your Dentist? brochure (for patients)
Join the GovD e-mail blast listserv to get the latest from CDC. Also, throughout USAAW, be sure to:
· Follow CDC on Facebook, Twitter (@CDCgov and @CDC_NCEZID), Instagram, and LinkedIn to join the conversation around improving antibiotic prescribing and use.
o #USAAW18 for the observance week
o #BeAntibioticsAware for the campaign
· Check out CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog where we’ll be featuring various stories from partners about improving antibiotic prescribing and use.
We look forward to collaborating with you to raise awareness about appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use and the threat of antibiotic resistance throughout Antibiotic Awareness Week!