Improved prescribing of antibiotics cuts C diff levels

摘要

Improved antibiotic prescribing has cut the rate of Clostridium difficile infection in NHS Lothian by half, it was announced this week. The health board's policy on improving antibiotic prescribing is based on four key principles: 1. Setting stop dates for courses of antibiotics (to minimise duration of treatment); 2. Encouraging the use of lower-risk antibiotics; 3. Discouraging the use of a defined list of antibiotics; 4. Reducing the use of acid-suppressing drugs, particularly proton pump inhibitors.