Primary Investigator: Dr. Malcolm Wilson

Co- Investigators: Dr. Jennifer Macmillan, Dr. Ken Foster, Dr. Tim Redmond, Danette Beechinor, Lisa Allen  Students: Graham Shearing and Owen Johnstone 

Antibiotics are used to treat infection and are among the most frequently prescribed medication in the hospital. In recent years certain bacteria have become resistant to certain antibiotics. This is a world-wide concern as these infections could become life threatening if modern medical facilities lose the ability to control microbial growth. The response has been the development of broad-spectrum antibiotics. These medications have the capability to control growth of most bacteria, however they should only be used against specific bacteria to prevent further resistance from forming. Unfortunately, it has become somewhat common to use more powerful antibiotics when a traditional choice would suffice.

This 2 year long project will determine the rate at which 2 specific broad-spectrum antibiotics are being used in 3 rural institutions, then inform individual physicians of their prescribing habits compared with their peers in the institutions. Educational presentations will follow based on each of the antibiotics in question to ensure that all members of each institution have the most up-to-date information regarding when these antibiotics should be used, at which doses and for how long. 

Project Status: Data acquisition was completed June, 2020. The data is currently undergoing statistical analysis. After which, results will be shared.