Antibiotic resistance is one of the most discussed health issues. To resolve it, there is an exceptional concept of antibiotic management. The main purpose of this initiative is the analysis, the study of how the appointment and familiarization with this type of preparation take place. As a result, medical specialists receive information about areas of improvement in these processes. Thus, this work examines this problem and how specialists such as nurse practitioners can help with changing the situation with antibiotic resistance. Moreover, the scientific paper presents three facts that can contribute to the improvement of the problem under study.
The study and analysis of the prescriptions and effects of antibiotics on human organisms are essential for the more effective treatment of infectious diseases. In addition, it also affects preventive measures to protect the population from harm to the body and immunity, which can be caused by medication (Chokshi et al., 2019). The Centers for disease control and prevention defines several main aspects that need to be taken into account when developing actions to solve the problem under study.
The Center recognizes that there is no one effective method for all cases; however, they can be interpreted and applied to each part. It should be remembered that, in the end, the main goal of medical specialists should be to optimize the process of prescribing antibiotics and ensure the safety of the population to maintain universal immunity. Professionals should also not forget that the process of implementing changes to such an extensive system can be quite costly in many respects and challenging to implement. That is why it is necessary to involve all the links and departments of the medical field in it so that the desired positive changes take place as often as possible.
Antibiotics are a powerful type of drug that is used to fight infectious diseases. They are often characterized by a relatively short period of intake, as they can have a negative impact on the body. One of these results of their reception is the change of bacteria in the human body. Such bacteria can cause infections that are very difficult to treat with medication.
In addition to the deterioration of the body’s fight against infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance can lead to an increase in medical costs and an increase in mortality. All these factors determine the critical need to change the system of prescribing antibiotics to patients. This also includes working to spread awareness and change behavior in relation to this problem. It is the lack of proper knowledge about the studied group of medicines that can make people ignore the instructions of the attending physician or nurse practitioner. This is how I see my role in this process of attracting changes. I can help in reducing the harmful effects of antibiotic resistance by teaching patients and colleagues on this topic.
Therefore, the scale of the problem under study is growing every day and poses a particular danger. The most dangerous for them may be the constant emergence of mechanisms that help maintain antibiotic resistance. This threatens the entire healthcare sector, as there is a decrease in immunity in a large part of the population. The world healthcare organization highlights a list of diseases that are particularly dangerous, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhea, and foodborne diseases (“Antibiotic resistance,” 2020). All of them may be more difficult to treat due to improper administration of antibiotics, which simultaneously reduces their effectiveness and increases resistance.
As already emphasized, antibiotic resistance can have a significant adverse effect on the level of public health. This is due to the fact that anyone can get infected with infectious diseases at any age. In some cases, which are increasingly common, patients neglect the rules for taking medications (Rather et al., 2017). Moreover, some doctors may incorrectly prescribe the treating drug, which will also contribute to the development of the problem under study. That is why the CDC has developed primary goals and strategies to be followed. The national strategy to combat antibiotic resistance has become such a practical approach.
In addition, the Center highlights a number of problems that may arise during poor-quality prescribing and misuse of these severe drugs. One of them may be the use of second-and third-line drugs. They can further worsen the condition of the patient’s body and have harmful side effects on health. Examples of such deviations may be organ failure or a general decrease in immunity. With a high level of resistance, the problem may be that the infectious disease can no longer be adequately cured by medication. Thus, the goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the fight against resistance.
The strategy that may be the most productive becomes the national strategy. The National Strategy, the U.S. plan for It, is a plan for international partnerships to reduce the national threat of antibiotic resistance (“U.S. national action plan,” 2021). This approach is based on identifying the causes of the problem under study, the consequences, and methods of struggle. One of the main topics of this strategy is the identification of how the use of antibiotics, incredibly incorrect and excessive, accelerates the development of antibiotic resistance. Upon receipt of the necessary data, the international medical institutions involved in the process take measures to implement an approach to ensure people’s health.
The national strategy implies the use of infection control and monitoring methods. They are based on factual data provided by medical organizations and specialists. Moreover, the data obtained during the strategy can become valuable information for further research and may be helpful in the development of new treatments. Therefore, the national strategy agrees with the fact that the problem of sustainability is global and critical to solving. As additional goals, the Center for Disease Control and Control identifies a decrease in the dynamics of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and prevents its spread. Additionally, it is vital to stimulate international actions to monitor the health status of the population of countries.
The National Policy also sets one of its primary goals to develop innovative diagnostic tests. They will be designed for more rapid identification and formation of characteristics of bacteria that are not treatable with antibiotics. It also provides an opportunity to motivate and contribute to the improvement of research. They can have a positive impact on the development of alternative and preventive treatment methods, such as vaccines and other medications.
The most crucial aspect that needs to be taken into account is that changes need to be carried out at all levels of health care. As a nurse practitioner, I can provide assistance at a more local level, but this contribution will also be precious. Thus, one of the actions that I can be applied by me in my practice can be the dissemination of knowledge about the problem. This can happen through direct communication with patients about the importance of observing all the rules for taking antibiotics. It is necessary to provide data on the long-term negative result of unanswered treatment.
Another activity may be the formation of regulated rules for both patients and doctors. This may be in the form of promotional material, for example, booklets, signage in certain public areas in a media institution, or posting rules on the hospital’s website. The latter may be the most effective since information technologies are widespread in modern society. Moreover, an unreasonable amount of natural resources will be spent, which violates the principles of sustainability. Information about personal hygiene and washing hands, tools, and the environment will be provided on information cards or on the website. Despite the fact that these are the basic rules of the work of medical personnel, some specialists may miss this aspect and not fully comply with it. In addition, an appropriate prescription of antibiotics is essential; that is, a weighty reason and a severe disease are needed.
An important measure that needs to be observed in the fight against antibiotic resistance is monitoring. The main contribution of this action helps to assess the progress in the use of antibiotics in patients with infectious diseases and helps to avoid unnecessary and unreasonable prescriptions of medicines. The information obtained during the monitoring can be shared with all specialists in the healthcare institution and will show what changes should be implemented to alter the situation. Monitoring is a set of tools for collecting and analyzing information from patients and their attending physicians. The next step is to adapt the collected data to identify statistics on antibiotic resistance. The primary task of monitoring is to track the use of antibiotics and also receive statistics on the increase or decrease in use.
Patient tracking data can be collected at certain time periods, depending on the goals set and the desired results. This makes it possible to accurately monitor emerging trends and patterns in the use of antibiotics, which could be invisible under normal conditions. Thus, monitoring can become an effective and successful method to combat antibiotic resistance. Moreover, it can significantly improve the quality of medical care and the fight against infectious diseases (Frieri et al., 2017). It is also worth noting that it is necessary to adjust the monitoring process to a specific medical organization and to the practice of specialists who decide to apply it in their activities.
Therefore, this work was engaged in the study of the topic of antibiotic resistance. The concept of this problem was considered, and the goals and key strategies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were studied, which can make a notable contribution to the fight against this problem. Moreover, several actions have been proposed that can contribute to change. Among them, the education of medical specialists and patients the involvement of such a vital tool as monitoring. All these measures enable specialists such as nurse practitioners to assess trends in antibiotic resistance and find ways to prescribe and take them more responsibly.
References
About antibiotic resistance. (n.d.). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Antibiotic resistance. (2020). World Health Organization. Web.
Chokshi, A., Sifri, Z., Cennimo, D., & Horng, H. (2019). Global contributors to antibiotic resistance. Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, 11(1), 36. Web.
Frieri, M., Kumar, K., & Boutin, A. (2017). Antibiotic resistance. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 10(4), 369-378. Web.
Rather, I. A., Kim, B. C., Bajpai, V. K., & Park, Y. H. (2017). Self-medication and antibiotic resistance: Crisis, current challenges, and prevention. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 24(4), 808-812. Web.
U.S. national action plan. (2021). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.