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2010

2009

Local Medical Community Launches Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance

Piedmont Community Health Plan, Centra Health and the Centra Health Foundation launched a public education campaign today in central Virginia aimed at reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics. The SAFE campaign – Save Antibiotics For Everyone - was spurred by PCHP data that show patients suffering from upper respiratory infections in the region use antibiotics nearly five times more often than recommended.

Overuse of antibiotics speeds the development of bacteria strains resistant to medications and is a problem nationwide. Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, but according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 90 percent of upper respiratory infections are viral and antibiotics are useless against them.

The coalition unveiled a poster that will be distributed in the community to physician offices, pharmacies, schools, day care centers and places of employment. The poster notes that overuse of antibiotics is the main reason bacterial resistance is so high, and that more than five in 10 patients in Lynchburg receive antibiotics for upper respiratory infections but only one in 10 truly need them.

The poster notes that while antibiotics are powerful drugs, they are not always the cure. Patients are encouraged to work with their physicians and if antibiotics aren't appropriate, to "Play it SAFE. Save Antibiotics For Everyone." The campaign also includes distribution of a postcard through area schools aimed at reaching children and their parents.

The message on the poster and postcard calls on those who are sick to work with their doctor to decide the treatment best for their condition. The campaign slogan is "Play it SAFE. Save Antibiotics For Everyone."

Kathryn Pumphrey, Executive Vice President for the Centra Health Foundation, said that the Foundation and Centra Health never hesitated to support the educational effort. "We have developed a sense of security that medicines are available to treat infectious diseases, but growing evidence shows that resistance is becoming more prevalent. We need to be sensible in our use of these miraculous drugs if we want to preserve their effectiveness."

Based on PCHP pharmacy and claims data for 1999 and 2000, 49% of upper respiratory infections were treated with an antibiotic such as amoxicillin, augmentin, and cephalosporin.

"The widespread prescribing of antibiotics when they are not needed not only exposes patients to unnecessary side effects, but also fosters the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of infectious agents," said David Smith, MD, medical director for Piedmont Community Health Plan.

In addition, PCHP has shared its research on antibiotic prescriptions with physicians in an effort to reduce unnecessary use of the powerful drugs.
"Antibiotics are a crucial weapon in our disease management arsenal," noted Robert Brennan, MD, a board certified specialist in infectious diseases. "We realize we need to attack this problem on two fronts. In addition to reaching out to the public, we are reminding physicians to use antibiotics only when they are called for."

Public knowledge of the problem of antibiotic resistance has increased in recent years, but many patients remain unaware of the differences between viral and bacterial infections. This confusion causes them to ask their doctors for what patients think works best: a strong dose of antibiotics. Patients may request a specific antibiotic prescribed to them in the past or simply refuse to accept the other prescriptions or fluids and rest. This pattern, repeated throughout many years, has resulted in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified as the growing public health threat of germs that resist antibiotics.

Piedmont Community Health Plan (PCHP) provides medical coverage to over 37,000 people in central Virginia. PCHP is owned jointly by 300 area physicians and Centra Health. Centra Health Foundation, a part of non-profit Centra Health, supports community and hospital-based projects, programs and activities that address community health problems and issues.