SNAPPS WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATE
What is the self-directed learning issue that was identified in your oral presentation?
The learning issue identified in my oral presentation was the many facets of prescribing
antibiotics.
Research the self-directed learning issue and provide a summary of your findings
which is fully supported by appropriate, scholarly, EBM references.
Prescribing antibiotics for patients seems like it would be a daunting task. There are several
classes of antibiotics that each have different mechanisms of action. There are anti-infectives for
upper and lower respiratory, skin, GI, and GU conditions. There is a growing number of antibiotic
resistant microorganisms and as a provider, I do not want to contribute to that expanding problem.
Learning how to effectively educate patients on the importance of taking antibiotics as prescribed
is something I would like to master.
I spent time researching how this matter can be addressed. The first thing I came across is
stewardship programs put in place to guide providers in antibiotic use. Stewardship programs have
been implemented and resulted in providers optimizing antibiotic selection, re-assessing antibiotic
treatment when the results of diagnostic testing are available, and using the shortest effective
duration of therapy (Gramling, 2021). The CDC also has recommendations for healthcare
professionals available in the form of CEs, videos, infographics, print outs, and more. These offer
guidance on the appropriate instances for antibiotic prescription and selection. This ultimately
leads to improved patient outcomes, reduced microbial resistance, and decreased spread of
infections caused by drug resistant organisms (Healthcare Professional Resources, 2022).
Based on all of these findings, in order to appropriately prescribe antibiotics to my future
patients, I need to utilize my resources and stay up to date on the most recent evidence. By
appropriately using the algorithms and utilizing stewardship programs, I will be able to build my
