CDC Offers Free Antibiotic Stewardship Continuing Education

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched the second of a four-part web-based training course about antibiotic stewardship and is offering free continuing education credits (CEs) for participants.

Section 2 is broken down into four modules. Topics covered include the following:

• Background and errors in outpatient antibiotic use in the United States.
• Inappropriate antibiotic use and opportunities for improvement.
• The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship.
• Communication training to improve clinician-patient communication about appropriate antibiotic use.

Section 1 was released in February and was comprised of three modules, which includes information on the following:

• Antibiotic resistance and threats and a detailed explanation of the benefits of antibiotic stewardship. 
• Risks and benefits of antibiotics, with a focus on the microbiome, adverse drug events and Clostridium difficile infections. 
• How clinicians can better optimize patient care by integrating antibiotic stewardship program activities into outpatient care. 

Sections 3 and 4 will be released later this year.

Overall course objectives include the following:

• Optimizing antibiotic prescribing and use to protect patients and combat the threat of antibiotic resistance.
• Informing healthcare professionals about proper antibiotic prescribing.
• Encouraging open discussion among physicians and patients.

While this particular course is primarily for clinicians who prescribe antibiotics, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified health education specialists, nurses, pharmacists and public health practitioners with a master's degree in public health are all eligible to receive up to eight hours of free CE.

To learn more about the CDC's Antibiotic Stewardship Training Series and the different types of CEs available, click here.