The year is 1928, it’s the height of the roaring 20’s, and people are suffering. Pneumonia, rheumatic fever, and gonorrhea are leaving thousands in agony, and doctors can do little to help. Fortunately, there is hope. Alexander Fleming, a Professor working at St. Mary’s in London, makes one of the greatest discoveries for humankind: penicillin. No longer would these plagues sweep populations, there was now a way to fight back. Fleming personally began what we now refer to as ‘The Age of Antibiotics’, an era antibiotic discovery that has spared hundreds of millions But it only took 40 years to start finding the next big danger, antibiotic resistant ‘superbugs’. The first penicillin resistant MRSA strain was found and documented in 1961. Since then, the number discovered has grown, all while our new antibiotic medication discoveries have all but stopped. This golden age is now being threatened, and humanity is helping it along with a copious overuse of antibiotics. According to Lance Price, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at George Washington University, American doctors and nurses prescribe around 8 million pounds of antibiotics every year. This leaves the final line of defense to be pharmacists. While the burden should not fall on their shoulders, pharmacists account for the easiest healthcare professionals to contact on a daily basis. In the community setting, a pharmacist’s responsibility is to counsel and educate their patients. This provides one of the best bastions to act as a teacher and dispense information. Here are some great talking points that could be given to a patient receiving a new prescription for an antibiotic:
Christopher Hodge P1 Liaison
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