Welcome to Season III of C. diff. Spores and More Global Broadcasting Network, and sponsored by Clorox Healthcare (www.cloroxhealthcare.com/cdiffradio)

Join us every Tuesday at 10:00 a.ml PT / 11:00 a.m. MT / 12:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m. ET for our live broadcast.

Dr. Katherine Fleming-Dutra, MD is a medical epidemiologist with the Office of Antibiotic Stewardship in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Dr. Fleming-Dutra is a Pediatrician and Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician and has focused on infectious diseases, epidemiology, and antibiotic stewardship in the outpatient setting in her career at the CDC.

Dr. Fleming-Dutra spent an hour with us discussing the Over Prescribing Of Antibiotics   —  and the Key to Fighting Antibiotic-Resistance — clinicians and patients.

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/96728/a-prescription-for-over-prescribing-the-key-to-fighting-antibiotic-resistance

The guidelines, programs, campaigns, tracking methods, and tools being provided by the CDC are outstanding and need to be shared and implemented by clinicians to continue reducing the rate by 50% by 2020 of all inappropriate selections and incorrect duration in antibiotic therapies.  Antibiotic Stewardship programs are available and should be in place across the healthcare industry.

Antibiotic Stewardship Guidelines

For Healthcare Providers and Professionals:  To learn more about the outstanding tools provided by the CDC  to aid in bringing about positive changes please click on the links provided below:

Here are links to the Core Elements:

https://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/improving-prescribing/core-elements/core-outpatient-stewardship.html

https://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/healthcare/implementation/core-elements.html

https://www.cdc.gov/longtermcare/prevention/antibiotic-stewardship.html

 AND

Links to Patient Safety Atlas

Antibiotic Resistance Patient Safety Atlas: Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions by State Data (2011-2014)

Antibiotic Resistance Patient Safety Atlas: Healthcare Facilities Reporting HAIs by State Data (2011-2014)

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/96728/a-prescription-for-over-prescribing-the-key-to-fighting-antibiotic-resistance

We know that the CDC’s most recent figure for C. difficile-associated deaths in the U.S. is considerably higher than that of any previous survey. According to the CDC*

• Nearly 500,000 patients are diagnosed with a C. diff infection estimated per year in the U.S., with more than 29,000 deaths
• Up to $4.8 billion in excess health care costs for acute care facilities
• Prevention steps include antibiotic stewardship and improved infection control in hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities

“C. diff. Spores and More “ spotlights world renowned topic experts, research scientists, healthcare professionals, organization representatives, C. diff. survivors, board members, and their volunteers who are all creating positive changes in the
C. diff. community and worldwide.

Through interviews – each episode becomes part of the living library.  The podcasts are accessed continuously promoting education and advocating the C Diff Foundation’s mission that are connecting, educating, and empowering listeners worldwide.

Questions received through the show page portal will be reviewed and addressed  by the show’s Medical Correspondent, Dr. Fred Zar, MD, FACP,  Dr. Fred Zar is a Professor of Clinical Medicine, Vice Head for Education in the Department of Medicine, and Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Over the last two decades he has been a pioneer in the study of the treatment of Clostridium difficile disease and the need to stratify patients by disease severity.

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