TY - JOUR
T1 - Decreasing the Peril of Antimicrobial Resistance Through Enhanced Health Literacy in Outpatient Settings
T2 - An Underrecognized Approach to Advance Antimicrobial Stewardship
AU - Hermsen, Elizabeth D.
AU - MacGeorge, Erina L.
AU - Andresen, May Lynn
AU - Myers, Laurie M.
AU - Lillis, Christian J.
AU - Rosof, Bernard M.
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was supported by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. The Rapid Service and Open Access fees were funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. All authors had full access to the articles reviewed in this manuscript and take complete responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of this manuscript. Medical writing and editorial assistance were provided by Judith Adams, PharmD and Rosemarie Kelly, PhD, of Churchill Communications, Maplewood, New Jersey. This assistance was funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published. Dr. Elizabeth Hermsen is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA and stockholder of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Ms. Laurie Myers is an employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA and stockholder of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Mr. Christian Lillis reports grants to the Peggy Lillis Foundation from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ USA, outside the submitted work. Dr. Erina MacGeorge, Dr. May-Lynn Andresen, and Dr. Bernard Rosof have no conflicts to report. This article is based on previously conducted studies and does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - Globally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious problem causing 700,000 deaths annually. By 2050, AMR is expected to cause approximately 10 million deaths globally each year if allowed to increase at the present rate. Many individuals have limited knowledge regarding appropriate antibiotic use and AMR. Most antibiotic use occurs in the outpatient setting, with approximately 30% of antibiotics prescribed deemed unnecessary. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a means to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and AMR. While existing AMS efforts generally focus on the inpatient setting, a significant gap is present in the outpatient setting. A common theme across various national action plans to reduce AMR is the need for education and awareness. The importance of communicating information in a manner easily comprehended by the patient in addition to productive clinician–patient dialogue cannot be overestimated. Enhancing the public’s and patients’ AMS health literacy is an underrecognized approach to help address AMR. We describe Four Core Elements of Enhancing AMS Health Literacy in the Outpatient Setting, utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework: (1) leadership commitment, (2) intervention/action, (3) tracking/reporting, and (4) education/expertise. We call upon leaders in outpatient settings to embrace this approach to curb inappropriate antimicrobial use.
AB - Globally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious problem causing 700,000 deaths annually. By 2050, AMR is expected to cause approximately 10 million deaths globally each year if allowed to increase at the present rate. Many individuals have limited knowledge regarding appropriate antibiotic use and AMR. Most antibiotic use occurs in the outpatient setting, with approximately 30% of antibiotics prescribed deemed unnecessary. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a means to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and AMR. While existing AMS efforts generally focus on the inpatient setting, a significant gap is present in the outpatient setting. A common theme across various national action plans to reduce AMR is the need for education and awareness. The importance of communicating information in a manner easily comprehended by the patient in addition to productive clinician–patient dialogue cannot be overestimated. Enhancing the public’s and patients’ AMS health literacy is an underrecognized approach to help address AMR. We describe Four Core Elements of Enhancing AMS Health Literacy in the Outpatient Setting, utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework: (1) leadership commitment, (2) intervention/action, (3) tracking/reporting, and (4) education/expertise. We call upon leaders in outpatient settings to embrace this approach to curb inappropriate antimicrobial use.
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U2 - 10.1007/s12325-019-01203-1
DO - 10.1007/s12325-019-01203-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 31953805
AN - SCOPUS:85078276379
SN - 0741-238X
VL - 37
SP - 918
EP - 932
JO - Advances in Therapy
JF - Advances in Therapy
IS - 2
ER -