Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

Smart Antibiotic Use for a Healthy Community

Antibiotics are some of our best weapons against bacteria. Antibiotics can save lives if used properly against a serious bacterial infection.

There’s a problem, though. Whenever antibiotics are used, bacteria learn to be resistant to them. When the bacteria become resistant, antibiotics will no longer work. These drug-resistant bacteria grow and multiply and cause new infections that are even harder to treat.

These infections can spread to other people. In the United States, there are more than 2.8 million drug-resistant infections every year. Every year, 35,000 people die from these infections.

Antibiotics also come with side effects including diarrhea, nausea, rash, and yeast infections. More serious side effects can include severe and life-threatening allergic reactions, or Clostridiodes difficile diarrhea infections (“C. diff”).

We want antibiotics to work against bacteria for a long time to come. To make this happen, we need to use antibiotics only when they are really needed.

There are many conditions where antibiotics are just not helpful. They won’t make you feel better any quicker or prevent you from getting worse. The risk of harm from the side effects of antibiotics is not worth it to you in these cases.

Here are some infections where antibiotics will not help:

Viruses
COVID-19
Colds
Flu
Bronchitis
Runny noses – even if mucus is thick, yellow, or green
Many sinus infections (your doctor will help determine)
Some ear infections (your doctor will help determine)

Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about any of the above conditions. Saying “no” to antibiotics when they are not needed keeps you safe and keeps drug-resistant bacteria under control.

Mission, Vision, and Goals

The mission of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Lee Health: Creating excellence in infectious diseases care by optimizing antimicrobial therapy at every opportunity. This coincides with our Vision, which is to promote the safe and appropriate use of antimicrobials, improve patient outcomes, reduce microbial resistance and mitigate the spread of infections.

The objectives of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program align with Lee Health Core Values and Strategic Pillars of Lee Health, including Exceptional Experience, Excellent Health Outcomes, Coordinated Care Model, and Strong Financial Results.