SIDP and ASHP Publish Position Statement on “The Essential Role of Pharmacists in Antimicrobial Stewardship”

According to the World Health Organization, the rapid increase in antibiotic resistance combined with a decline in the development of new antibiotics is a global crisis. Antimicrobial stewardship is therefore critical, and an article published in the July 2016 edition of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology discusses the essential role pharmacists play in this stewardship in accordance with guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). The article was written on behalf of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and has been endorsed by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

SIDP Political Advocacy Committee Chair Emily Heil notes “with the recent release of the new IDSA/SHEA Antibiotic Stewardship guidelines, this statement provides support for the essential role that pharmacists play in antimicrobial stewardship. We were pleased to partner with ASHP on this effort with the endorsement of ACCP and SHEA.”

“This statement reiterates the importance that pharmacists have in the conduct of antimicrobial stewardship programs in concert with our infectious diseases physician colleagues,” said SIDP President Jason Gallagher. “Successful antimicrobial stewardship programs require a team approach, and pharmacists are key to their success.”

Founded in 1990, the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) is an association of pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals dedicated to promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents. For more information, visit http://www.sidp.org.

Contact:
Stephanie Bulak, Associate Executive Director
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists
Phone: (512) 328-8632
info@sidp.org

Earlier today, ProCE, Inc. and SIDP announced a new online web portal for CPE, called the SIDP Education Center (SIDPEC™). This CE portal will provide educational activities concerning infectious diseases pharmacotherapy, will host home study content and live webinars, and will serve as a registration portal for local and national symposia.

Educational content will include a range of activities targeted to varied knowledge levels. SIDPEC is expected to launch this summer.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/com.proce/res/pdf/SIDPEC.pdf

CDC officials, public health experts and hospital industry leaders today released a guide on avoiding overuse and misuse of antibiotics, which is fueling the problem of antimicrobial resistance that kills 23,000 Americans per year. The recommendations: http://bit.ly/1UdGyeD

NQP - Launch of “Antibiotic Stewardship in Acute Care: A Practical Playbook” Webinar

http://nqf.commpartners.com/se/Meetings/Playback.aspx?meeting.id=491704

An SIDP/ASHP position paper, "The Essential Role of Pharmacists in Antimicrobial Stewardship," has been published online:

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=10280244&fulltextType=AC&fileId=S0899823X16000829

SIDP members - please check your email for information concerning elections for President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and Board Member-at-Large. A link to the survey is here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YFVM9BM

Publication of the official SIDP Position Statement, "Agricultural Applications for Antimicrobials: A Danger to Human Health" is in-progress in Pharmacotherapy. The statement may be found at the link below: 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/phar.1737/abstract

Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists

Call for Grant Applications to Fund

Merck Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy Residency or Fellowship 

 

The Board of Directors of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) is pleased to announce the availability of funding for two (2) Merck Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy Residencies or Fellowships for the period of July 2016 through June 2017. 

 

Proposals should be converted to a single PDF file and then submitted via email to Stephanie Bulak (sbulak@eami.com) at the SIDP Office no later than 5 PM E.D.T. on April 8, 2016. Applications submitted after the application deadline, will not be considered.  The Board of Directors will make decisions on the applications no later than May 1, 2016.

For details click here!

Please consider nominating either a colleague or yourself for an SIDP award, to be given at the Annual Meeting, Thursday, June 16, 2016 in Boston, MA.  Each year, the Society recognizes the excellence of its members with the Young Investigator of the Year, Pharmacotherapy Paper of the Year, Clinician of the Year, and Gita Patel Best Practice Awards.  In addition, a Distinguished Service Award may be awarded by the Society to recognize truly outstanding and lasting service (this award is not necessarily given annually).

Nominations need to be received by Monday, April 4, 2016.  Supporting materials for each nominee will be due Monday April 18, 2015.  Winners will be notified no later than Friday May 13, 2016.  All nominations and supporting materials can be sent to Julie Ann Justo, Chair of the Recognition Awards Committee at justoj@sccp.sc.edu.

Each award description, criteria and required supporting materials are detailed in the links below.   Please consider your deserving colleagues or yourself for these awards!

 

2016 Clinician of the Year

2016 Distinguished Service Award

2016 Gita Patel Best Practice Recognition Award

2016 Paper of the Year

2016 Young Investigator

The SIDP Political Action Committee signed onto a letter that encourages the CEO of Yum! Food brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut) to join other industry leaders such as Subway, McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, and Panera in efforts to use poultry raised without the routine use of medically-important antibiotics.

The letter reads in part, "We write you as representatives of organizations with millions of members to express our concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production, and to ask that Yum! make a strong, definitive public commitment on antibiotic stewardship in its meat and poultry supply chains.

Your recent decision to eliminate the use of antibiotics “critically important” to human medicine in your chicken supply by the end of 2016 is a positive step forward, but does not constitute a meaningful antibiotics use policy. Because very few antibiotics designated as “critically important” are used by the poultry industry, your focus on this very limited set of drugs may create the false impression that Yum! is taking substantial action, even though the vast majority of medically important antibiotic use would likely not be affected."

Per an agreement signed between SIDP and ASM, the ASM website includes information pertaining to the SIDP Stewardship Program, and the SIDP website now contains information concerning ASM’s program. Respective links are below:

http://clinmicro.asm.org/index.php/lab-management/training/456-antimicrobial-stewardship-program-antimicrobial-stewardship-program

http://www.sidp.org/page-1445258