Texas Health Research & Education to Present National Continuing Education Series on Appropriate Antimicrobial Use and Infection Prevention

ARLINGTON, Texas, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hospitals nationwide are increasingly dealing with bacteria that have developed a resistance to antibiotics, resulting in hospital-acquired infections in patients. To address this problem, Texas Health Research & Education Institute will present "A Call to Action: Advancing Appropriate Antimicrobial Use and Infection Prevention through Partnership and Shared Knowledge," a national six-part educational program.

The free series, which airs starting Nov. 3, is aimed at helping health care providers understand and intervene in the global problem of bacteria resistance. Nearly 2 million patients annually in the United States acquire an infection in the hospital, with about 90,000 of those patients dying as a result.

"Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resulting infection are serious challenges for the health care system, and that's why we're hosting a national discussion on strategies to help curb further bacterial resistance," said Linda Gerbig, R.N., M.S.P.H., vice president of performance improvement for Texas Health Resources. "We want to start a dialogue that leads to real and rapid change in clinical behavior."

The series will examine patterns of susceptibility and resistance to antibiotics among existing and new bacteria, explore current control of antimicrobial resistance in the hospital, and examine considerations for antimicrobial programs. The programs, which feature nationally renowned experts in the field, are intended for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, microbiologists, respiratory therapists and other health care professionals who treat infectious disease.

"Resistant bacteria, or 'super bugs,' are growing rapidly at the community level -- in fact, about 70 percent of the bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are now resistant to at least one of the drugs most commonly used for treatment," said Edward L. Goodman, M.D., medical director of infection control at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. "This means all clinicians must play a role in dealing with this complex issue. This education series will help providers plan their next moves in the critical battle against resistant bacteria."

The series will be broadcast in six parts from Nov. 3, 2009, through Feb. 4, 2010. To view presentation dates, topics and presenters, visit www.texashealth.org/calltoaction. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. CST on Nov. 3.

The programs will be archived and available as enduring materials for a one-year period. Through health care education company CRM Healthcare, Texas Health Research & Education will offer a variety of learning technologies to match providers' preferred learning styles. Instructional media-rich delivery methods will include webcasts, podcasts and DVDs.

Texas Health Research & Education Institute is the research and medical education organization within Texas Health Resources, one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health care delivery systems in the United States and the largest in North Texas in terms of patients served. For more information, visit www.texashealth.org/THRE.