CDC Director Discusses Hot Spots for Antibiotic Resistance

The need for a comprehensive system to collect local, regional and national data on antibiotic resistance is more critical than ever. This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will roll out a new way every hospital in the country can track and control drug resistant bacteria. On The Health Care Blog, CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, discusses the breakthrough program that will take control of drug resistance to the next level – the Antibiotic Use and Resistance (AUR) reporting module.

The CDC already operates the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), with more than 12,000 healthcare facilities participating. This new AUR module of NHSN will electronically capture antibiotic prescriptions and drug susceptibility test results.