The National Foundation For Infectious Diseases And MAD-ID Partner To Improve Patient Care Through Antimicrobial Stewardship

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is an urgent need for all healthcare providers to engage in antimicrobial stewardship to manage the appropriate use of antimicrobials. Leaders will need to direct and supervise stewardship plans and will need training to achieve optimal clinical patient outcomes related to antimicrobial use.

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) - TheNational Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is partnering with Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy (MAD-ID) to offer a unique opportunity for physicians to participate in a conference addressing antimicrobial stewardship and the management of infectious diseases while earning up to 16.0 CME credits.

The 2014 MAD-ID Annual Meeting (MAD-ID 2014), scheduled for May 29-31, 2014 in Orlando, FL, will focus on the status of antimicrobial resistance in the U.S. and the urgent need to train physicians and other healthcare providers about the importance of implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs throughout the healthcare system.

Antimicrobial resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms, e.g., bacteria, germs, and fungi, to grow in the presence of a chemical (drug) that would normally kill them or limit their growth and prevent infection or illness. Infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness, greater risk of death, and higher healthcare costs.

Antimicrobial resistance has become a significant healthcare quality and patient safety issue that, combined with a rapidly dwindling antimicrobial “armament,” has resulted in a critical threat to U.S. public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists antibiotic resistance as the number one health threat. According to CDC, each year at least 2 million people in the U.S. get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result.

In order to manage the appropriate use of antimicrobials, all healthcare facilities, including hospitals, long-term care and acute care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, and dialysis centers must be prepared to develop and implement antimicrobial stewardship plans as recommended by several leading health organizations.

In collaboration with MAD-ID, NFID will accredit the MAD-ID 2014 Annual Meeting which will provide up to 16.0 credits of continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. Early registration closes on April 29.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1973 dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the causes, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases.