AAEM Attends Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship at the White House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2015
MILWAUKEE — The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) has been invited to participate in the White House’s Health Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship in Washington, D.C.
The Forum
The goal of the Forum is to exchange ideas on ways public and private sector stakeholders can collaborate to improve responsible antibiotic use and to discuss opportunities for further improvement.
This event will bring together key human and animal health constituencies involved in the development, promotion, and implementation of activities to improve antibiotic use (antibiotic stewardship) nationwide. The United States government departments and agencies, along with key human and animal health stakeholders, are committing to implement changes over the next five years to a create meaningful impact on antibiotic stewardship, slow the emergence of resistant bacteria, and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
The meeting will take place at the White House on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, from 8:00am-4:00pm EDT. Live streaming from the White House will be available at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
AAEM’s Participation
AAEM has named former board member, Michael Pulia, MD FAAEM, as the Chair of the AAEM Antimicrobial Stewardship Task Force and delegated him to attend the forum in Washington, D.C. Dr. Pulia is an active researcher in this area and also the Director of a novel Emergency Medicine Antimicrobial Stewardship program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Dr. Pulia notes that, “Antibiotic misuse is fueling the growing public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. The emergency department is a complex health care environment with unique barriers to appropriate antibiotic use. Future research should focus on
identifying the underlying determinants of inappropriate antibiotic use in the ED and testing novel solutions to this challenging clinical dilemma. Any future metrics surrounding antibiotic use in the ED should be informed by high-quality data which demonstrates both improved prescribing patterns and the absence of any patient safety risks.”
As a key stakeholder organization participating in the White House Stewardship Summit, AAEM can provide expert guidance regarding the unique aspects of emergency care that influence antibiotic use and how to implement successful interventions in this setting.
AAEM to Make Organizational Commitments
Tomorrow, June 2nd, in conjunction with the Antibiotic Stewardship Forum, AAEM will announce organizational commitments to combating this growing problem.
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The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the specialty society in emergency medicine today. As
an organization, AAEM believes achievement of board certification represents the only acceptable method of
attaining recognition as a specialist in emergency medicine.