In 2012, the
Independence Health Department (Independence, Missouri) began participating in an
Antibiotic Stewardship Program organized by the Public Health Foundation (PHF). Promoting optimal antibiotic use through both the public health and healthcare systems, PHF’s
Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship Driver Diagram was the backbone for this pilot initiative.
The health department chose two strategic targets in the community for their interventions: healthcare providers and childcare providers. Using a variety of programs to raise awareness of best practices in prescribing antibiotics, and safe antibiotic use among those in childcare facilities, the health department aimed to reduce instances of antibiotic resistant disease. The driver diagram played an important role in facilitating the process of choosing these targets. PHF's Senior Quality Advisor,
Jack Moran, provided on-site technical assistance to facilitate the health department’s use of quality improvement in selecting interventions to promote optimal antibiotic use as outlined in the driver diagram.
This story depicts the effectiveness of programs that are built on collaboration between healthcare and public health to combat health issues that affect both sectors.
Read the full case story.
For more information about this initiative, please contact Vanessa Lamers at
vlamers@phf.org.