After almost a year of planning, the First Annual Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit convened on Friday, June 1st, 2018 in La Vista, NE. This conference is the first of its kind in Nebraska in which information on antimicrobial stewardship in various healthcare settings is the focus of the meeting. The conference center was abuzz with… Read More
Systemic fluoroquinolones* (FQ) currently in use include ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gemifloxacin, delafloxacin and ofloxacin. These agents have a number of FDA-approved indications including respiratory tract, genitourinary tract, skin and soft-tissue, intraabdominal, and gastrointestinal tract infections. Because of ongoing safety concerns with FQ use, the FDA issued drug safety communications associated with systemically administered FQ in… Read More
Clostridium difficile* infections (CDI) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Based on data from 2006 to 2011, studies estimated close to 500,000 CDI cases annually, resulting in 15,000 to 30,000 deaths and 4.8 million dollars in excess costs to acute care facilities. C difficile infections remain a major public health problem,… Read More
On February 22nd, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new drug safety communication to health care providers regarding the long-term risks of clarithromycin use in patients with heart disease. Clarithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic used for treatment of a variety of respiratory tract and skin infections, and infections caused by Helicobacter pylori and non-tuberculous… Read More
In order to improve health care providers’ understanding on the threats of antibiotic resistance and the role of antibiotic stewardship program in combating these threats, CDC launched the first of a 4-part web-based series on antibiotic stewardship training. In this first part of the self-paced, knowledge-based training program (course number WB2968), health care providers are… Read More
Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is defined as “isolation of pre-specified quantitative count of bacteria in an appropriately collected urine specimen obtained from a person without symptoms or signs referable to urinary infection“. Despite current recommendations to treat ASB only during pregnancy, prior to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), or before other urologic procedures where mucosal… Read More
Antimicrobial stewardship is not only about inpatient antimicrobial prescribing. Inappropriate outpatient antibiotic prescribing has contributed to the development of resistant organisms. Nebraska is one of the leading states in the country contributing to the problem of inappropriate outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Recognizing this as a national issue with global implications, in 2014 the President called for… Read More
In 2014, the CDC published The Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs to assist acute care facilities implement antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). While these efforts were relatively successful in hospitals with more than 50 beds (>50% were compliant with all seven ASP core elements), only 26% of hospitals with 25 beds or less had… Read More
Antibiotic use is common in long-term care facilities (LTCF) with 70% of residents receiving at least one course of systemic antibiotic every year. A significant proportion of this antibiotic use (40% to 75%) is either unnecessary or inappropriate. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will require all LTCF to have an antimicrobial stewardship program… Read More
Since 2004, the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at Nebraska Medicine (www.nebraskamed.com/ASP) has been assisting prescribers determine the best antimicrobials for their patients’ infections and when to avoid giving antibiotics. The philosophy of the program is not to restrict access to these life-saving medications but to guide clinicians in the optimal use of these potentially dangerous… Read More