Categories: Antibiotic use, Long Term Care (LTC)
November 16th, 2012 8:47 am ET -
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Matthew Wayne MD, CMD
Author – Matthew Wayne MD, CMD,
Chief Medical Officer for CommuniCare Family of Companies,
President of the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA)
So, you’ve recently taken antibiotics and you’ve now developed a case of disturbing diarrhea. Should you be concerned? Maybe so…
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea refers to diarrhea that develops in a person who is taking or recently took antibiotics. One of the most serious causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection – a major cause of acute diarrhea in long-term care facilities. Not only does C. difficile cause discomfort, it actually results in nearly 14,000 deaths every year—90% of these involve people aged 65 or older. People who have recently taken antibiotics are at greatest risk for C. difficile, which is yet another reason we need to use these medications carefully in our nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
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Categories: Antibiotic use, Long Term Care (LTC)
November 15th, 2012 1:55 pm ET -
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Nimalie Stone, MD
Author – Nimalie Stone MD,
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As you have read in the posts from our academic and clinical partners, much work needs to be done to impact the systems and behaviors driving antibiotic use in the nursing home setting.
We believe many of the principles of antibiotic stewardship we apply in hospitals would also hold true in other healthcare settings. However, we do not have the same levels of clinical experience and research evidence to implement this activity in our nation’s nursing homes. As an important first step in developing a strategy to promote improved antibiotic use in these healthcare facilities, CDC has reached out to key partners across the nursing home industry to get their input and advice. In fact, today CDC is having face-to-face conversations with these industry stakeholders to discuss and outline next steps towards improved antibiotic use in nursing homes.
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Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-associated infections, Long Term Care (LTC)
November 16th, 2011 12:36 pm ET -
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amda Dedicated To Long Term Care Medicine
AMDA – Dedicated to Long Term Care
Many of us have or will have loved ones in long term care facilities. These healthcare settings are critical to providing healthcare and everyday assistance to people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, who otherwise would be unable to take care of themselves. Like other healthcare settings, antibiotics are not always used correctly or wisely in long term care. We are glad that CDC is addressing and promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics to ensure the prolonged use of these important drugs and delay the rise of untreatable infections.
We believe that medical directors of long term care facilities can have enormous impact on appropriate antibiotic use. Here are some things they can do to ensure correct use of antibiotics for your loved ones:
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Categories: Antimicrobial Resistance, Gram negatives, HICPAC, Healthcare-associated infections, Long Term Care (LTC)
March 29th, 2011 3:18 pm ET -
Arjun Srinivasan, MD
Author – Arjun Srinivasan, MD
CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
You probably have seen the media reports this week about drug-resistant infections in California healthcare facilities, specifically those in Los Angeles County. What we know, however, is that carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) actually exists in at least 36 states. Originally identified in 1999, CRKP may be present in the other 14 states as well, just not yet reported to CDC.
CRKP is a Gram-negative bacteria and part of a family called Enterobacteriaceae. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (or CRE) are able to fight off our last-resort antibiotics and have become an important public health issue resulting in high mortality (death) in patients.
How can we stop these bugs? CDC released prevention guidelines on multi-drug resistant organisms in 2006 and guidelines specifically targeting CRE in 2009. [See my previous blog posts on how to prevent CRE.]
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Categories: Healthcare-associated infections, Long Term Care (LTC), Outpatient Care
December 15th, 2010 11:45 am ET -
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Patsy Tassler Kelso, Ph.D.
Guest author – Patsy Tassler Kelso, Ph.D.
Epidemiologist
Vermont Department of Health – Infectious Disease
Vermont is taking on an exciting new project to prove that preventing healthcare-associated infections is a “winnable battle.”
We recognize that infections occur in all healthcare settings, and that multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) can travel with patients. That’s why the Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with CDC, Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care, and healthcare facilities statewide have formed the Vermont MDRO Prevention Collaborative. Our collaborative is bringing hospitals and nursing homes together in this effort – getting front-line staff to share ideas, bringing acute care infection prevention experience into long-term care settings.
Why nursing homes? Vermont has only 14 hospitals, and half are small critical access facilities. There are almost 3 times as many long-term care facilities providing skilled nursing care; they are a key partner. We’re proud to say that every Vermont hospital, along with one hospital in New Hampshire, and more than three-quarters of the nursing homes with skilled nursing facilities have joined the collaborative.
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