Stewardship engagement slashes antibiotic use across hundreds of LTCFs
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 01, 2022
More than 400 U.S. long-term care facilities were able to reduce the number of urine cultures, treatment courses and length of antibiotics therapy during a year-long program. “Those who do the work,...
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Feb. 17
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 17, 2022
More stewardship strategies linked to fewer discharge antibiotics … Memory retrieval problems may be due to knowledge clutter in older age: study … Impaired nasal cavity cells may explain early loss...
Best practices for antibiotic stewardship & infection control in long-term care
By
Oliver Schacht
Nov 22, 2021
Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week November 18-24, highlighting the importance of appropriate antibiotic use in fighting the threat of drug...
Urinary test cuts antibiotics use in pneumonia, pharmacists say
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2021
Urinary antigen tests led to earlier discontinuation of certain antibiotics and shorter acute care stays in patients with pneumonia, a new study finds.
C. diff may sneak in on soles of shoes, sampling study shows
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 08, 2021
Community exposure to the superbug Clostridiodes difficile may be more common than previously thought, with a surprising amount of spores carried on the soles of shoes, researchers say.
CDC: Reduce citations with these antibiotic stewardship tools
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 05, 2021
Long-term care providers constantly being cited for lapses in antibiotic stewardship should adopt antibiotic-use protocols to improve adherence to federal infection control guidelines, according to a new...
Nursing homes, feds hide sky-high antipsychotic use with dubious diagnoses: report
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 20, 2021
At least one-fifth of nursing home residents are taking the drugs, many for schizophrenia, a diagnosis that has skyrocketed in these settings since 2012, a new investigation finds.
Shorter course of antibiotics effective in men with UTI, comparison shows
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 30, 2021
A seven-day course of antibiotics is no less effective than a 14-day course for resolving urinary tract infections in men with no fever, a new study finds.
Long-term care toolkit highlights the ‘4 moments of antibiotic decision making’
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 01, 2021
Experts from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provide specific guidance for prescribing clinicians, including how to create a culture of safety around antibiotic prescribing, and learning...
Ecumen to market infection control tracking tool developed by employee
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 29, 2021
Abxtracker software is designed specifically for use in the long-term care industry, and is aligned with CMS regulations. The technology can track COVID-19 and other viral, fungal or bacterial infections,...