AAEM Collaborates with the CDC to Promote Appropriate Antibiotic Usage

MILWAUKEE - Nov. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) joins with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in promoting Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, November 18^th-24^th, 2013.

AAEM will join with organizations across the country and the world, in highlighting the dangers of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. Public officials and medical experts have designed this campaign to inform the public and health care providers of the need for appropriate antibiotic use.

Every time a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant germs may be left to grow and multiply. Repeated and improper uses of antibiotics are primary causes of the increase in drug-resistant bacteria.

Emergency care providers have been selected by the CDC as the focus of Get Smart Week 2013, as the emergency department straddles the inpatient and outpatient setting and the decisions made there with regard to antibiotics have massive downstream implications.

AAEM president, William T. Durkin, Jr., MD MBA FAAEM noted, “The AAEM board of directors is pleased to partner with the CDC Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work program to highlight the importance of optimizing antibiotic use in the emergency department setting. We believe that this program is vital to improve patient outcomes and public health through potential reduced antimicrobial resistance.”

AAEM will distribute antibiotic resistance resources to our over 8,000 members, including the Top Ten Ways to Improve Stewardship in Your ED, co-authored by AAEM board member and Get Smart Week coordinator, Michael Pulia, MD FAAEM. Additional resources will be shared throughout the week on the AAEM website and social media to extend the efforts of the CDC in reaching emergency care providers.

For more information, please visit the CDC website, www.cdc.gov/getsmart, and the AAEM website, www.aaem.org/advocacy/get-smart.

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The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the specialty society in emergency medicine today. As an organization, AAEM believes achievement of board certification represents the only acceptable method of attaining recognition as a specialist in emergency medicine.

For more information, please visit www.aaem.org or call 800-884-2236.
Connect with AAEM: www.aaem.org/connect.