stewardship
Clinical TherapeuticsDecreased Overall and Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing in a Veterans Affairs Hospital Emergency Department following a Peer Comparison-Based Stewardship InterventionAntibiotic prescribing is very common in emergency departments (EDs). Optimal stewardship intervention strategies in EDs are not well defined. We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study in a Veterans Affairs ED in which clinician education and monthly e-mail-based peer comparisons were directed against all oral antibiotic prescribing for discharged patients. Oral antibiotic prescriptions were compared in baseline (June 2016...
Clinical TherapeuticsUtility of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nares Screening for Patients with a Diabetic Foot InfectionTreatment of suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a cornerstone of severe diabetic foot infections; however, antibiotics can be associated with toxicity. The objective of this study was to determine the negative predictive value (NPV) of MRSA nares screening in the determination of subsequent MRSA in patients with a diabetic foot infection....
Editor's Pick Clinical TherapeuticsComparison of Pharmacist-Directed Management of Multiplex PCR Blood Culture Results with Conventional Microbiology Methods on Effective and Optimal Therapy within a Community HospitalMultiplex PCR combined with a pharmacist-driven reporting protocol was compared to the standard of care within a community hospital to evaluate initial changes after notification of a positive blood culture. The intervention group demonstrated decreased times to changes in antimicrobial therapy (P = 0.0081), increased changes to optimal antimicrobial therapy (P = 0.013), and decreased vancomycin use for coagulase-...