Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1191144
30 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP Extra focus on antibiotic stewardship helps residents stick to prescribing guidelines By Anuja Vaidya A dding dedicated antibiotic steward- ship-focused training rounds into the medical education curriculum helped increase adherence to guidelines governing the duration of antibiotic therapy, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. Researchers examined antibiotic prescribing for three common infections, pneumonia, cellulitis and urinary tract infections, at a medical center. ey studied the prescribing patterns of three medical teams: one com- posed of family medicine residents, another composed of internal medicine residents and a hospitalist group. All three medical teams received identical baseline antibiotic stewardship education and daily prescribing audit with feedback via clinical pharmacists. e family medicine resident group received additional targeted antibiotic stewardship training, which includ- ed biweekly stewardship-focused rounds with an antibiotic stewardship physician and a clinical pharmacist leader. Of 1,572 patients admitted to the hospital between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, 295 were eligible for inclusion in the study. e percentage of patients receiving antibiotics selected in adherence with the medical center's guidelines was similar across all three groups for all three infections. However, the family medicine group prescribed antibiotics in adherence with facility guidelines on duration for 74 percent of patients, as compared to the internal medicine group that did the same for 56.6 percent of patients and the hospitalist group for 44.6 percent. n Telehealth program helps cut hospitals' antibiotic use by nearly 25% By Anuja Vaidya A telehealth-based antimicrobial stewardship program helped reduce broad-spectrum antibiotic use by nearly 25 percent at two community hospitals, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Researchers examined the effects of a telehealth-based antimicrobial stewardship program at two community hospitals in Pennsylvania, one with 285 beds and the other with 176 beds. For six months, infectious disease physicians remotely reviewed patients being given broad-spectrum antibi- otics with local pharmacists, as well as those admitted with lower respirato- ry tract infections and skin and soft tissue infections. The infectious disease physicians made recommendations for antimicrobial stewardship interven- tions to primary care teams that were tracked by local pharmacists. During six-month intervention, infectious disease physicians made 1,419 antimicrobial stewardship recommendations, of which 1,262 were accepted. Broad-spectrum antibiotic use decreased by 24.4 percent during the intervention, compared to the one-year baseline period. Consultations with infectious disease physicians increased by 40.2 percent. Researchers estimated that annualized savings on antibiotic expenditure was $142,629 during the intervention period. n Researchers create antibiotic-free approach to tackle superbug By Mackenzie Bean T he use of antibiotic-free nanocapsules could help prevent and treat Helicobacter pylori infections, according to a study published in ACS Applied Bio Materials. The nanocapsules, made of only food- and pharmaceutical-grade ingre- dients, effectively blocked H. pylori from adhering to stomach cells and causing infection. About 4.4 billion people worldwide carry H. pylori bacteria, which can cause ulcers and chronic inflammation of the stomach lining. Current treatment often involves the use of several antibiotics, which promotes resistance. "The bacteria hide under the gastric mucus layer where antibiotics do not penetrate effectively," study co-author Francisco Goycoolea, PhD, a profes- sor at University of Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition in England, said in a news release. "This often leads to recurrent infections and gives rise to resistant strains." Researchers said the nanocapsules are a promising candidate that could serve as an alternative or complementary treatment for H. pylori infections. n