Imagine that you’re about to go on a holiday. You’re packed and prepared, wavering between excitement for your upcoming trip and the familiar, slightly panicked feeling that you’ve definitely forgotten something. You’re a little nervous about the flight, but as you take your seat, the pilot’s reassuring voice comes over the intercom. “Good afternoon,” he says. “This is a two-hour flight from London to Málaga. You have an 80 percent chance of safely reaching your destination.” A one-in-five chance of disaster? Surely those odds are far too high for a simple vacation trip. But if that’s the case, then why are such statistics acceptable in a healthcare setting? Dilip Nathwani, President of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, says, “We have a 50 to 70 percent chance of getting the right antibiotic for a patient’s infection – and we sit and congratulate ourselves on those odds.” To him, that’s unacceptable – and that’s only the surface of the problems with antimicrobial stewardship.

Read the full article now Log in or register to read this article in full and gain access to The Translational Scientist’s entire content archive. It’s FREE and always will be! Login Email Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in Log in Or register now - it’s free and always will be! You will benefit from: Unlimited access to ALL articles

News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts Register Or Login via Social Media Twitter By clicking on any of the above social media links, you are agreeing to our Privacy Notice.

About the Author

Michael Schubert

While obtaining degrees in biology from the University of Alberta and biochemistry from Penn State College of Medicine, I worked as a freelance science and medical writer. I was able to hone my skills in research, presentation and scientific writing by assembling grants and journal articles, speaking at international conferences, and consulting on topics ranging from medical education to comic book science. As much as I’ve enjoyed designing new bacteria and plausible superheroes, though, I’m more pleased than ever to be at Texere, using my writing and editing skills to create great content for a professional audience.