Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-associated infections
November 18th, 2011 1:57 pm ET -
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Ramanan Laxminarayan, PhD
Author – Ramanan Laxminarayan, Ph.D.,
director of Extending the Cure (ETC)
Patients in the United States are among the most intensive users of antibiotics in the world, but you may be surprised to learn that overall per capita outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States has decreased in recent years. In fact, between 1999 and 2007, the number of dispensed antibiotic prescriptions per thousand inhabitants dropped from 975 to 858 – a 12% decline.
Extending the Cure’s ResistanceMap shows new visualizations documenting this downward trend in prescribing. But enthusiasm should be tempered by some troubling patterns of antibiotic use.
For example, while penicillins still account for one out of every three antibiotic prescriptions filled, the use of more powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics is increasingly rapidly. Dispensing of one powerful class of antibiotics, fluoroquinolones, increased by 49% over the time period.
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Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, State HAI Prevention
November 17th, 2011 8:45 am ET -
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Dr. Trivedi
Author – Dr. Trivedi,
California Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Initiative,
California Department of Public Health.
In February 2010, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched the country’s first statewide initiative to promote optimization of antimicrobials in healthcare facilities. In less than two years, the cutting-edge California Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Initiative is helping California healthcare facilities establish programs to improve patient safety and quality.
The Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Program of CDPH developed the statewide California Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Initiative as the result of a statutory mandate. California Senate Bill 739 required CDPH to ensure that each general acute care hospital assemble a quality improvement committee to oversee the results of a process for evaluating the judicious use of antibiotics. While hospitals were aware of this mandate, they were left to implement programs on their own. The Initiative offers California healthcare facilities a valuable resource for antimicrobial use education, guidance and consultation.
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Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-associated infections, Long Term Care (LTC)
November 16th, 2011 12:36 pm ET -
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amda Dedicated To Long Term Care Medicine
AMDA – Dedicated to Long Term Care
Many of us have or will have loved ones in long term care facilities. These healthcare settings are critical to providing healthcare and everyday assistance to people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, who otherwise would be unable to take care of themselves. Like other healthcare settings, antibiotics are not always used correctly or wisely in long term care. We are glad that CDC is addressing and promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics to ensure the prolonged use of these important drugs and delay the rise of untreatable infections.
We believe that medical directors of long term care facilities can have enormous impact on appropriate antibiotic use. Here are some things they can do to ensure correct use of antibiotics for your loved ones:
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Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-associated infections, State HAI Prevention
November 15th, 2011 2:29 pm ET -
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David P. Calfee, MD, MS
Author – David P. Calfee, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College,
Chief Hospital Epidemiologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell in New York City
The GNYHA, UHF, and NYSDOH Antimicrobial Stewardship Project
While most discussions of antibiotic resistance and improving antibiotic prescribing practices (“antimicrobial stewardship”) focus on hospitals, antibiotic resistance and inappropriate antibiotic use are also prevalent in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In fact, antibiotic resistance rates in LTCFs are often higher than in hospitals. Consequently, in 2009 the Greater New York Hospital Association, United Hospital Fund, and New York State Department of Health launched the Antimicrobial Stewardship Project.
The project pursued effective strategies for antimicrobial stewardship programs in LTCFs to demonstrate that beneficial activities could be performed without significant investment in new resources, and to demonstrate the value of hospital-LTCF partnerships in antimicrobial stewardship activities. Another goal was to develop tools and materials to assist project participants and other healthcare facilities to develop and manage their antimicrobial stewardship programs.
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Categories: Antibiotic use, Antimicrobial Resistance
November 14th, 2011 3:31 pm ET -
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Nimalie Stone, MD
Author — Nimalie Stone, M.D.
Medical Epidemiologist
CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
With increasing drug-resistant bacteria and complicating conditions from antibiotic use like diarrhea from C. difficile on the rise, we must look at every opportunity available to improve how antibiotics are being used in healthcare settings. This year as part of CDC’s Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, in addition to our ongoing focus on improving antibiotic use in hospitals, we invite partners who deliver care in long-term care facilities (e.g., nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities) to also join in the Get Smart for Healthcare campaign.
Antibiotics are some of the most frequently prescribed medications in long-term care facilities. Studies estimate that between 50-70% of residents will receive at least 1 course of antibiotics every year. Over time, that adds up to a lot of medication exposure. All this antibiotic use also drives the development of resistant bacteria making future infections far more difficult and costly to treat. One of the biggest challenges facing long-term care facilities is the prevention and control of C. difficile infections and relapses. These infections are more severe in people over age 65 resulting in hospitalizations and sometimes death.
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