Antibiotic Resistance

"Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria that cause infection are not killed by the antibiotics taken to stop the infection. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply causing more harm. Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to decreasing, or even reversing, the spread of resistance. Although the solution to the problem of antibiotic resistance is complex, we do know that when communities have decreased antibiotic use, they also have decreased resistance." Center for Disease Control's Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases

Articles

Academic Emergency Medicine Parental Use and Misuse of Antibiotics Parents in the suburban setting were more likely to have misused antibiotics for their children. On the other hand, parents in the urban setting were more likely to have been discharged by a physician at one health facility and gone to another physician's office or ED in order to obtain antibiotics for their children.

Archives of Internal Medicine Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics and the Risk for Delayed Admission and Masked Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases: A Lesson From Taiwan

Medical Economics Magazine How to say No when antibiotics won't help

The Why Files (National Science Foundation) Microbes: What doesn't kill them makes them stronger

Scientific American The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Guarding Against the Most Dangerous Emerging Pathogens: Insights from Evolutionary Biology

American Health Consultants

• A Clinical Excellence Approach for Outcome-Effective Use of Antibiotics In The Emergency Setting Resistance, Toxicity, and Current Therapies for Life-Threatening Infections- A Guide to the Guidelines
• Antibiotic Update: Year 2001 Tools, Strategies, Evidence, Guidelines and Clinical Outcomes

Links

CDC: Antibiotic Resistance

Center for Science in the Public Interest Antibiotic-Resistance Project
"Despite antibiotics  extraordinary value, the overuse of those miracle drugs in medicine and agriculture endangers their continued effectiveness. The more antibiotics are used, the more likely it is that bacteria will develop mechanisms to evade them. The time has come for public and private institutions, as well as the general public, to change their policies and practices to prevent further increases in antibiotic resistance."

Current ACP-ASIM Guidelines
Guidelines have been produced by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Infectious Disease section

Global Antibiotic Resistance in the Hospital Setting: Trends, Impact, and Successful Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Outbreaks (Free CME)

Behind the Swinging Doors: Infectious Diseases in the Emergency Department (Free CME)

eMedicine AAEM Family Medical Guide Antibiotics
One of the foremost concerns in modern medicine is antibiotic resistance. Simply put, if an antibiotic is used long enough, bacteria will emerge that cannot be killed by that antibiotic. This is known as antibiotic resistance. Infections exist today that are caused by bacteria resistant to some antibiotics. The existence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria creates the danger of life-threatening infections that don't respond to antibiotics. There are several reasons for the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. One of the most important is antibiotic overuse. This includes the common practice of prescribing antibiotics for the common cold or flu. Even though antibiotics do not affect viruses, many people expect to get a prescription for antibiotics when they visit their doctor. Although the common cold is uncomfortable, antibiotics do not cure it, nor change its course. Each person can help reduce the development of resistant bacteria by not asking for antibiotics for a common cold or flu.

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