Last Sunday our Healthcare-Associated Infections Program and Antimicrobial Stewardship Subcommittee members presented at the 2017 Arizona Pharmacy Association Annual Convention. Their presentation “Antimicrobial Stewardship Focused on Community Settings in Arizona: Ready For Prime-Time” was focused on the following discussions:
- Global initiatives to improve the use of antibiotics, including programs in the United States
- Importance of paying attention to antimicrobial stewardship in the community
- Current mandates for antimicrobial stewardship programs in community settings
- Antimicrobial stewardship metrics in community settings
- Currently available resources in Arizona to support stewardship
The session ended with guidance for Arizona pharmacists to stay informed, get involved, and garner leadership support. Healthcare providers across the state are working together to improve patient care by implementing antibiotic stewardship we are here to help with resources and information.
Our Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program works to prevent infections in healthcare facilities across Arizona. Our HAI plan supports and enhances HAI prevention activities already occurring in the state. The HAI plan is divided into four general areas: development or enhancement of HAI program infrastructure; surveillance, detection, reporting, and response; prevention; and evaluation, oversight, and communication. This plan reflects current HAI prevention capacity as well as HAI prevention activities ADHS would like to undertake given additional resource availability. This is a planning document and subject to change based on resource allocation, staffing changes, and passage of HAI legislation on the state or federal level.
