The Northwest Neonatal Improvement Priority Alliance Achieves a 25% reduction in Antibiotic Use in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Neonatal Intensive Care:
A Success Story

On CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog, Dr. Dmitry Dukhovny talks about how the Northwest Neonatal Improvement Priority Alliance (NW IPA) was created to improve antibiotic use in the NICU. The NW IPAs secured support from the Healthcare Associated Infections Program of the Oregon Public Health Division with funding from the CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grant. 

In its first year, NW IPAs achieved a 25% reduction in antibiotic use. 

This is critical because each year in the United States, several hundred thousand newborns are admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) where they receive life-saving antibiotics to treat infections. However, many infants are given antibiotics unnecessarily throughout their NICU stay, which can cause side effects and lead to antibiotic resistance. 

As part of U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware, we invite you to:

• Read Dr. Dukhovny’s blog.

• Check out new Be Antibiotics Aware materials and resources and learn how you can help improve antibiotic use.

• Learn more about antibiotic prescribing and use at www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use.

Antibiotics aren’t always the answer for newborns. Learn more here: https://go.usa.gov/xn2FF #USAAW17 @CDCgov @CDC_NCEZID