Sharon Parsley (sharonparsley@q-a-g.com) is President & Managing Director of Quest Advisory Group, LLC, in Ocala, FL.
Most of you will undoubtedly be aware that improper administration of antibiotics is a significant problem that places patients at risk for serious adverse events and contributes to the public health concern of increased antibiotic-resistant infections. Four-year-old data cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than two million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant organisms, which results in approximately 23,000 deaths annually.[1] Growing evidence that antibiotic stewardship programs reduce these patient risks led the CDC to recommend in 2014 that all acute care hospitals implement such programs.