Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health concern that occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites stop responding to the drugs designed to address them.

This resistance makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Adi Shah, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, says AMR frequently happens when microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses are exposed to various and repeated episodes of antimicrobial use.

To combat antimicrobial resistance, Mayo Clinic has a stewardship team that leads the effort to promote the careful and correct use of infection-fighting medications. Among the team’s initiatives is an outpatient program that works with pharmacists, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to improve how antimicrobial medicines are used.

“Our efforts have focused both on unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions overall and unnecessarily long durations of therapy,” says Dan Ilges, the clinical pharmacist lead for ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship efforts at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Experts underscore that patients play a critical role in the fight. Open communication with healthcare teams is essential.

“We know that for many germs, exposure to antibiotics and antifungals can increase the risk of resistance developing and resistant germs are more difficult to treat,” says Sara Ausman, the clinical pharmacist lead for antimicrobial stewardship efforts at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “Antibiotics are useful tools but aren’t always the best treatment option.”

Ausman notes that for colds, your healthcare team will likely recommend over-the-counter remedies to address symptoms instead of antibiotics.

Ausman emphasizes that if you are prescribed an antibiotic, you should ask about the shortest prescription length that is needed to treat your infection, as well as whether antibiotics are the right choice for your symptoms.

Beyond appropriate antibiotic use, prevention is a powerful tool. Experts emphasize these simple, everyday practices:

–Wash your hands. Properly washing your hands removes germs to prevent infection of yourself and those around you.

–Vaccination is an important preventative step to improving public health and preventing the need for antimicrobials