Antibiotic Stewardship

Doctor, I need an Antibiotic!

By Gregory Kosters, DO, of Avera Medical Group Sibley & Osceola Regional Health Center

Have you ever gone into a clinic, hospital, or other medical care site expecting to get an antibiotic but then left disappointed or angry because you didn’t receive the prescription you set out for? That is because we often have a lack of understanding and incorrect expectations regarding what antibiotics do and what they are for.

Antibiotics against bacterial infections have been around less than 100 years starting with Dr. Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928, followed by its use clinically since about 1943. Sulfa antibiotics soon followed – and now we have many types.

It has taken some time for prescribers to learn how to properly use anti-bacterial antibiotics. For decades, antibiotic have been overused, and inappropriate use has caused infections to worsen, as well as bacterial resistance to emerge. This overuse and inappropriate use of antibacterial medications has created harm to some patients and has made more infections harder to treat.

Antibiotics have been one of the most successful forms of treatment in the history of medicine. This has contributed to their misuse/overuse. In response to this, the medical community is now engaged in what we call Antibiotic Stewardship. Antibiotic Stewardship is the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed and used.   

So, when you left a clinic or hospital angry or disappointed about not getting an antibiotic, your prescriber was just being responsible and practicing Antibiotic Stewardship so that when you do need an antibiotic, it will be more likely to work for you.

You can learn more at the upcoming Lunch and Learn. Dr. Greg Kosters will be speaking about antibiotic stewardship at noon on January 25 in Osceola Regional Health Center’s Multi-purpose room.

If you have any concerns, contact Avera Medical Group Sibley at 712-754-3658 or Osceola Regional Health Center at 712-754-2574.