Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Named Regional Leader In Fight Against ‘Super Bugs’

Becomes First Hospital Outside USA Designated IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, an integral part of Mubadala Health, has become the first hospital outside the United States to be named an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

The designation serves as international recognition that Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s antimicrobial stewardship program meets or exceeds the highest standards in optimizing antimicrobial use and combating antimicrobial resistance - declared one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity by the World Health Organization.1 Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is now among the 131 programs from the United States, and the only one outside the United States, that have received the designation since its launch in 2017.

“This designation is the culmination of years of work across our organization to put antimicrobial stewardship at the forefront of patient care. If you look at healthcare globally, we see that antimicrobial resistance has gone from something people talk about in more abstract terms to something they battle every day. We see our role as protecting the quality, safety and effectiveness of our care for future generations,” says Rania El-Lababidi, Co-Director of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s antimicrobial stewardship program.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when common diseases start to become resistant to the medications used to fight them. The overuse of antimicrobial medications accelerates this process and has been linked to the development of ‘superbugs’ that cause infections which cannot be treated with existing antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics. The hospital’s antimicrobial stewardship program develops, implements and tracks strategies to reduce the overall use of antimicrobials while continuing to provide the best possible medical outcomes for patients.

At the heart of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s antimicrobial stewardship program is a collaboration between the hospital’s pharmacy and infectious disease physicians who provide a layer of oversight on patient care. A pharmacist specialized in infectious diseases works with an infectious disease consultant to review patient records who have been prescribed antimicrobial medications and identify opportunities to further optimize their care.

In addition to optimizing efforts to curb and control antibiotic use, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s antimicrobial stewardship program is committed to supporting wider efforts to combat the rise of drug-resistant diseases. It has taken on an advisory role with numerous other providers across the UAE and in Saudi Arabia to support the development of their antimicrobial stewardship programs. The hospital also works closely with Abu Dhabi and UAE antimicrobial resistance committees on local and national guidelines.

“Antimicrobial resistance is an issue that affects us all. If we are to have a lasting impact, it is vital that we extend our efforts beyond the walls of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. We work with partners across the country and even abroad on planning and implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs. Sharing our knowledge is a responsibility we take very seriously as global problems require us all to work collaboratively to tackle them,” continues El-Lababidi.

Beyond advice, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi operates an antimicrobial stewardship training program though its ‘ASP Academy.’ The two-week program provides healthcare professionals from across the UAE with the knowledge, tools and experience they need to establish similar programs in their home facilities. Since its launch, 24 pharmacists have completed the course.

For more information or to book an appointment at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, call 800 8 CCAD (2223), visit www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae​ or download the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi app.