Solutions for antibiotic stewardship

Since the 1940s, antibiotics drugs have greatly reduced illness and death from infectious diseases. However, these drugs have been used so widely and for so long that the infectious organisms the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are responsible for infecting at least two million people annually in the United States and at least 23,000 people die due to these infections.¹Yet, only about half of all small hospitals in the United States currently meet the CDC’s core elements for antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP). An effective ASP is necessary to help your facility improve patient outcomes and avoid costly penalties.

Antibiotic resistance comes from a confluence of factors:

As the CDC states, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that hospital-based programs dedicated to improving antibiotic use, commonly referred to as “antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP)”, can both optimize the treatment of infections and reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use.^{2, 3}

We’re proud to offer a comprehensive solution for antibiotic stewardship. Our goal is to support patient safety and conserve antibiotics in all communities nationwide by offering solutions that help augment the good work hospitals have already implemented. Our experienced team will work closely with stewardship teams to move from current state to a jointly defined ideal state.

Watch our webinar and panel presentation on how the core elements of an antibiotic stewardship program help reduced hospital acquired infections, patient length of stay and improve overall patient satisfactionhere.^{4, 5}(Registration required.)

Aggressive diagnostics

According to the CDC, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year resulting in over 35,000 patient deaths.⁶A study conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis revealed that anywhere from 30% to 50% of antibiotics used in hospitalized adults was inappropriate.⁷

Accurate and reliable diagnostics for resistant infections are vital in lowing the spread of disease and keeping your patients healthy. The National Action Plan, developed by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an overall plan-of-attack for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance, lists rapid diagnostic tests for identification and characterization of resistant bacteria as one of five key measures to combat inappropriate antibiotic use.⁸

Theright diagnosticsin the hands of healthcare providers is paramount to improving patient outcomes. You can count on our accurate, fast and reliable diagnostics resources to strengthen your antibiotic stewardship practice.

The White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship brought together more than 100 key human and animal health leaders involved in antibiotic stewardship to plan the development, promotion and implementation of activities to promote optimal use of antibiotics nationwide. Together, they put forth anational antibiotic stewardship action planthat included:

• 50% reduction of C. difficile incidents
• 60% reduction in hospital-acquired CRE infections
• 35% reduction in hospital-acquired MDR Pseudomonas species infections
• 50% reduction in MRSA bloodstream infections
• 50% reduction in inappropriate antibiotic use in outpatient settings and a 20% reduction in inpatient settings

Is your facility on pace to meet the call to action?

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Want more information?
Contact our lab specialists to learn how our solution for antibiotic stewardship can help you work towards these goals and make a positive impact in patient therapy.

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1 – https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/index.html
2 – https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/healthcare/implementation/core-elements.html#_ENREF_17
3 – https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/healthcare/implementation/core-elements.html#_ENREF_18
4 – Hecker MT, Fox CJ, Son AH, et al. Effect of a stewardship intervention on adherence to uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis guidelines in an emergency department setting. PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87899. doi:10.137/journal.pone.0087899.
5 -约翰斯通J, Mandell l .指南和质量measures: do they improve outcomes of patients with community-acquired pneumonia? Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2013;27(1):71-86. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2012.11.001.
6 – https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/threats-report/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf
7 – https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/1-in-4-kids-who-get-antibiotics-in-childrens-hospitals-are-prescribed-the-drugs-incorrectly/
8 – https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/us-activities/national-action-plan.html

Statistics in graphic:

$35B to $45B – https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/hai/scott_costpaper.pdf
12M – https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2014/04/04/bmjqs-2013-002627
1 in 25 – https://www.cdc.gov/hai/surveillance/index.html
Only 49% – https://www.pharmacytoday.org/article/S1042-0991(17)31637-7/pdf
50% – https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/stewardship-report/pdf/stewardship-report.pdf
18% – https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb196-Readmissions-Trends-High-Volume-Conditions.pdf