What’s happening: US Antibiotic Awareness Week is an annual observance that raises awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use.

• Check out CDC’s USAAW 2022 Partner Toolkit to help spread the word.

Messages for Long Term Care Health Care Professionals

• You can do harm by prescribing antibiotics when they are not needed.
  • Patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria should not be treated with antibiotics in most cases.
  • Antibiotics are only needed to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, not viruses like those that cause COVID-19.
• Optimizing the use of diagnostic tests is critical for improving treatment of conditions like sepsis and stopping the spread of infections, including those caused by COVID-19.
• Always remember to prescribe the right antibiotic, at the right dose, for the right duration, and at the right time.
  • Reassess antibiotic therapy to stop or tailor treatment based on the patient/resident’s clinical condition and diagnostic test results as appropriate.
  • Use of the shortest effective duration of antibiotic therapy is a key antibiotic stewardship strategy. Optimizing duration of therapy, especially in care transitions, is an important target for improvement.